


The Conning Of Love

by changenotcoins



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Marvel References, Mommy Leslie, Single Parents, Star Trek References, daddy ben
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:33:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25865179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/changenotcoins/pseuds/changenotcoins
Summary: It's a tradition for Ben and his daughter to attend Indiana Comic Con every year, but what happens when Ben's daughter invites Leslie's son this year? Because of the schemes of seven year olds, love might just blossom between two single parents.
Relationships: Leslie Knope/Ben Wyatt
Comments: 29
Kudos: 73





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've wanted to do a parents AU for awhile now and this just seemed very fitting. It's definitely alternate universe and most things won't be in canon, but some will. Leslie and Ben are both about thirty-five in this fic. Rated T for now, but subject to change. The "conning" in the title refers to the convention. Enjoy!

"Dad," Violet began, her voice too earnest and far too adult-like for a rosy cheeked little girl of seven years old. "I have something _very_ important to tell you."

Ben paused in the middle of those damn financial reports he was pouring over, the ones that Chris had bestowed upon him, right as he was leaving. Ben loved Chris, but sometimes he couldn’t appreciate the fact that Ben had a child to get home to and paperwork just further delayed the time he got to spend with Violet that much longer. He already felt guilty enough about missing out on many points in her life because of his work obligations, and he ached for even the slightest fraction of time that he got with her.

"Okay… What's up, Vi?"

Violet drew in a deep breath, her chest puffing up like a balloon before her words rushed out on one very large exhale. "Ihaveaboyfriend."

“Oh?” Ben's eyebrows shot up at this declaration, his voice an octave or two higher than normal and oh, God. The very day he had been dreading was finally here. His baby girl had a crush. No, not a crush. A _boyfriend_. His stomach twisted in a knot and a moment flashed within him where he thought about her as a tiny little baby left for him, with no mother in sight, and how he wished he could turn back time to when she was that little again. She was growing up, much to his chagrin. 

"Yes," Violet's expression was still deadly serious and Ben bit back a grin. "His name is Liam. He's the smartest boy in my class and he is _so cute_!"

"Well, that’s pretty awesome, Vi," Ben was already etching the very facets of this conversation into his memory, and he realized that this was big one. His little girl, at the ripe age of seven, was telling her father about her first boyfriend over a seemingly normal dinner. "Does he know that you’re the most special girl in the world?"

“Yes, _Dad_!” She punched that word at the end with an eyeroll, as if he was already supposed to know, and of course he did. To him, she was the most special girl in the world. She was his world.

Violet’s brow furrowed for a moment, and her rare shy demeanor replaced the fire in her he normally saw. “Is… is it okay, Dad? That I have a boyfriend?”

Ben’s expression softened for a moment. He wanted her to know. He wanted her to know that above all else, her happiness was his purpose in life. That even though she was young, she deserved happiness, because one day she would grow up and she would learn how truly cruel the world could be. He wanted her to hold onto that innocence of a first crush for as long as she could. He leaned over the dining table where she sat adjacent and pressed a kiss into her hair. She smelled like strawberries and little girl, and he could live in this place forever. “As long as you're happy, my sweet girl." 

Violet wiggled away from his kiss, and nodded in return. "Okay," she said, pausing to take an enormous bite of her food, and Ben once again had to hide his smile. Violet chewed and swallowed, then spoke again, kicking her feet underneath the table. "Guess what else, Dad?”

“What am I guessing?”

“I invited him to the convention tomorrow! You know, our Comic Con! For a date!”

"Did you now?" Ben was surprised at her statement. Did kids their age really talk about Indiana’s Comic Con? Was this a regular seven year old date spot? "What do Liam’s mom and dad think about him joining us at the convention?"

Violet's sparkling green eyes danced with joy. "He doesn't have a dad!"

“No? It’s just him and his mom, huh?” Truthfully, Ben wasn’t all that taken aback. He had met many single mothers and even a few single fathers over the years, so it didn’t strike him as odd that her boyfriend - and oh, he would have to get used to that – was missing a parent too.

“Yep!” Violet was beside herself at this point and Ben didn’t have the heart to tell her no in any way. Even if she tried her infamous pout on him. More often than not, that won him over. Oh, she was wrapped around his finger. She was Daddy’s little girl, alright. “Just like it’s just us!”

\-------------------

"But _Mom_!"

"I'm sorry, Liam. We can't go to the convention tomorrow," Leslie was desperately searching for a suitable dinner in the refrigerator but was coming up short. Ann had cooked pancakes a few days ago for them, but pancakes weren’t dinner. Waffles were, of course, but she needed to find something. Leftovers? Jackpot. "Mommy has to work on a major project for work and Auntie Ann is probably going to come over and stay here with you."

Leslie plated the food and started the microwave. When she turned around to face her son again, there he was, a very big frown on his face. The biggest frown she had ever seen him wear. And although she knew he was upset, she couldn’t help but smile. He was adorable and he was all hers.

“ _Please_ , Mom!” Liam looked like he was on the verge of tears. “I want to go _so_ bad. I told ViVi we’d be there!”

“Who’s ViVi?”

Liam’s cheeks burned red, and his voice was barely a whisper. He dropped his blue eyes to the floor and swayed nervously. “My girlfriend.”

Leslie nearly burned her hand on the bottom of the container she had just retrieved from the microwave. “Wait. Your what?”

“My girlfriend,” Liam chanced a glance up at his mother through long, dark lashes. “She asked me on a date to the convention. She’s going with her daddy.”

“Wait just a minute there, pal,” Leslie held a hand in the air as she addressed her wondrous little boy. “Your girlfriend - your very first girlfriend - invited you on a date to the Indiana Comic Convention? With her dad?”

“Yup! She said that she and her daddy go every year,” Liam was bouncing with excitement now as he was explaining his grand plans to his mom. “She said that her Dad really likes all that stuff and they always dress up and it’s their tradition to go every year.” 

“Do they?”

“Yes! And I want us to dress up too!” He grinned up at her, one tooth missing and those blue eyes that he had obviously inherited from her were bright-eyed and innocent, and Leslie wondered if she would ever stop falling in love with her son. 

She didn’t think so.

“Oh, is that what we’re going to do?”

Liam nodded in such a way that she knew he had already decided, and that that was that. And yeah, she could never really say no to him. Like her, he was determined and passionate and saying no really wasn’t in their vocabulary. Like her, his unspoken mantra was that a Knope would never say nope. It was always a yes.

“And where are you supposed to meet ViVi?”

“At the convention! ViVi said it was at nine in the morning, on Capitol Avenue. I’m not really sure where that is.”

“In Indianapolis?”

“Yes! That’s what she said.”

“Liam,” Leslie said, cutting herself off with a sigh. “Indianapolis is about an hour and a half away from Pawnee and that’s a very long ride. Are you going to get up that early?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Liam jumped up and down, and Leslie thought it might as well have been Christmas to him. “I promise, Mom! Please!”

And really, who was she to say no? She couldn’t, and not to that face. “We can only stay a little while,” Leslie warned. “When I say we have to go, we have to go. Mommy has a big project to work on and needs to be back to do some things, okay?”

Liam squealed and threw his arms around his mother’s waist, squeezing her as tight as a little boy could muster. “Thank you, Mom!”

And then he was off. His tiny legs disappeared before her in a flash. But, he had also left his dinner untouched.

“Hey!” Leslie called after him. “Where do you think you’re going? We haven’t even had dinner yet!”

“I have to pick out something to _wear_ , Mom! I need to call Uncle Andy because he always knows the best costumes!” 

Leslie shook her head, rubbing a palm over her tired eyes and thought that waffles actually sounded like a superior dinner. Yes, she would see if Ann could bring JJ’s over. And she would also be calling Andy later to make sure he hadn't suggested some outrageous costume to her son. 

Wait.

What the hell kind of costume was she going to wear?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, Ben and Leslie will finally meet, I promise. ;)
> 
> Enjoy!

"What do you think about my costume, Mom?" Liam was breathless as he popped into Leslie's bedroom, a child-sized costume mask adorning his face. His blonde hair poked out over the top, splaying messily across.

"You look fantastic, Liam! Very _super_." Leslie dropped her costume gloves to her bed as she complimented her son, keeping her tone light in an attempt to offset Liam’s obvious nerves. She reached out and brushed Liam's bangs to the side and the absent, small gesture briefly sent her thoughts back to the Parks and Recreation days before Liam. There was no comparison to what she had now. She thought about life where she was still pining after Mark, still trying to make something work that was already over before it even began, and forever grateful for this happy little accident she was gifted. Her little boy was _hers_ , and life without him or before him or any other world she could imagine was written away in these tiny little moments she shared with her son. 

“Uncle Andy really did well with this one, didn’t he?” Leslie knelt in front of Liam and tugged on the cuffs of his costume, folding them neatly back in place. “Best little superhero I’ve ever seen, I’ll say.”

Leslie sat back on her heels and admired her son’s ensemble: from his mask to his red jacket and black pants and small boots, and the blonde hair that just couldn’t help but stick out. She wanted to laugh at her naivety, because when she had finally resigned to the fact that she was really pregnant, she had only ever envisioned having a girl and the universe giving her a handed opportunity to name her after any one of the many women she admired. But here she was, with her little boy and never in a million years would she have dreamed that she would be asking Andy Dwyer for costume advice for her son. Life had a funny way of creating its own irony.

“Alright, my little interplanetary policeman,” Leslie said, tapping a finger against the red eyes of his mask. “You ready to go?”

“Yep!” Without another word, Liam clasped Leslie’s hand in his and started pulling her through the door with as much haste as he could.

“Wait, wait!” Leslie exclaimed with a laugh, stopping Liam and reaching back to grab the tickets for the event. “Jeez, I’ve never seen you excited!”

“You’ll see, Mom. She’s the most beautiful girl in the whole world.”

\-------------------

“How do I look, Daddy?” Violet asked as she twirled into the center of the living room. Her lightsaber twirled with her and then when she came to a stop, smacked right into her hip. The brown hair that he had braided rested upon her neck and Ben thought she looked a little bit older and oh, there was that pang in his chest again.

“Like the most beautiful girl in the entire galaxy!” Ben answered automatically, his voice still thick and rough from sleep, because his daughter had pounced on his bed at an ungodly hour, bursting with anticipation for the day they had ahead of them.

Violet giggled in the cute little way he loved. “That’s what you _always_ say!”

“Well, it’s always true!” Ben took another sip of his coffee, eyeing his daughter over the steam rising up from the mug he was holding. “Now tell me again why you wanted me to paint your nails green last night? Because I’m not sure Rey has green nails, you know.”

“ _Because_!” Violet stated in a worldly tone that was clearly meant to convey that Ben should know this detail. “That’s Liam’s favorite color!”

“Okay, got it,” Ben held one hand up in the air in defense as he took another swig from his mug. “Sorry.”

Violet rushed over to the hall closet and yanked out the final touch of her costume, the belt that wrapped around her waist, and turned to look back at her father. “Okay, all ready!”

“Jeez, Vi, I’m not even done with my coffee yet. Sit down for a few minutes, would you?” Ben ran a hand through the disheveled mop of hair on top of his head. It was days like this when he wondered how he had any hair left at all, after chasing around his precocious daughter for the past seven years. 

“We can’t be late!”

“We won’t, I promise!” Ben pressed a kiss into her hair. “I love you, baby.”

“ _Daddy_!”

“Okay, okay!” He eased himself up with a groan and staggered towards the bathroom, stopping halfway to look back one last time at the cozy image of his daughter, curled into the corner of the couch, swaddled in her child-sized Rey from Star Wars costume and warm morning sunlight. In that moment, he felt like the luckiest man in the universe.

Grinning in spite of himself, Ben stumbled into the bathroom and began to get ready. Something told him he’d need to look his best for whatever they had ahead of them that day.

\-------------------

Violet fidgeted uncomfortably as she stood on the sidewalk, scrutinizing the face of each person who walked past. They’d been there, on the corner of Capitol Avenue where the convention center was, since eight thirty-seven – exactly sixteen minutes by Ben’s count. Ben shifted from one Star Trek Converse-clad foot to the other, sending up a grateful sigh that the day had dawned unseasonably cool for a May summer day in Indiana.

“What if he doesn’t come?” Violet finally asked at eight fifty-six, her small voice just rising over the growing crowd. 

“Well,” Ben started slowly, doing his best to keep his expression neutral. “If he doesn’t come, then we’ll still have fun here, right? Like we always do?”

Ben’s heart fell just slightly when Violet looked up at him, her green eyes pools of sadness. Ben squeezed her hand for support before offering her a little smirk. “Okay. If he doesn’t come, then we can go eat calzones for lunch and talk about how much boys stink.” Ben whispered conspiratorially and scrunched his nose in mock disgust, earning him the tiniest smile from his daughter.

“But I know he’ll show up, Vi,” Ben continued as he glanced up and down the sidewalk. It was still early in the morning; they hadn’t gone into the enormous convention center that sat next to Lucas Oil Stadium yet because they were waiting for their guests to arrive. He let his mind wander and he wondered what Liam’s mother looked like. He’d met many single mothers over the years, but somehow this one seemed more important, because of how important her son was to his daughter. Was she his age? What was her story? What did she look like? He shook the thoughts away, knowing it was pointless to even entertain it, and focused his attention on the other people starting to swarm around them, all in various costumes. 

“You do?”

“Yup,” Ben said with a firm nod, his daughter’s voice snapping him back to reality. “How could anyone ever leave you waiting?” He smiled down at his daughter, soaking up all of Violet’s childish hope and faith and etching it permanently in his heart. Ben had made it his mission since he held his tiny baby girl in his arms that he would never let her feel lost, or lonely, or small – not today in this throng of people, not in their lives, not ever. He simply kept watching for a mystery woman and her cute son to emerge from the masses and walk straight toward them. 

“You said Liam doesn’t have a dad, huh?” Ben asked, absently toying with the Starfleet badge on the left side of his chest. 

Violet shook her head. “His dad left when he was a baby. He ran away to… um…” Violet trailed off, biting down on a single fingernail the way she did when she couldn’t recall something important. “I don’t remember where he said. But now he just has his mom.”

Ben simply nodded, but his mind drifted to his own story. Liam’s mom was eerily similar to him already. Left with a baby and now a single parent. He already wanted to know more about her. Maybe she would tell him. Maybe he would actually find a friend in Pawnee, and someone who actually understood this life. 

There were people milling about everywhere on the sidewalks: dressed in costumes and cosplay, all different colors and shades and fabrics, and outfits Ben couldn’t even begin to describe – quintessential Indiana Comic Con, doused in a spectrum of sparkle and color. Violet wove them through the crowd, blind to every spectacle. As she dodged in and out, she counted the number of people aloud as they strode down to the entrance until they finally reached their destination.

“That’s him, Daddy! There’s Liam!”

Ben’s gaze followed the finger that Violet pointed across the street until his eyes fell on a mother and son duo. Her back was turned to him, and all he could make out was blonde hair. And really nice legs that filled out her costume _very_ well. _Nope, not going to go there with the mother of my seven year old daughter’s friend._

“Liam!” 

Violet’s sudden shriek tore Ben’s rapt attention away from her friend and his mother. “Jeez, Violet, lower your voice – ”

But Violet was off before he even had the chance to finish; her hand slipped from Ben’s grip and she darted into the street like a young fawn, leaving Ben grasping nothing but air. A swish of braided brown hair and the brown and tan from her costume was the last thing he saw before she disappeared into the swarming sea of people. 

Ben finally caught up to her and all he wanted to do was scold her for running away like that, tell her how dangerous it was on a busy inner city street where too many people were walking and she could easily be taken from him. 

Instead, he ran face first into Captain Marvel and Star Lord.


	3. Chapter 3

"There she is!" Liam exclaimed, shattering Leslie’s cool demeanor and causing her to jump with surprise. Before Leslie could collect herself, Liam yanked his hand away and took off, leaving Leslie scrambling after him.

"Liam! Wait!" But Liam didn’t stop for a moment. The straps of his mask bounced against his head and face as he dove into the thick, noisy street crowd.

Leslie kept her eyes glued on Liam’s mask and his blonde hair as he pushed himself between men and women of all ages, all colors, all sizes, every costume and cosplay imaginable. She kept calling her son’s name at the top of her lungs until she finally reached out, just able to wind her fingers around the fabric of the costume that rested against his back and her nails dug deeply into the cushioned red and black nylon just as Liam came to a halt in front of a little girl that Leslie immediately figured had to be none other than the infamous Violet.

She was beautiful, all brown braided hair and green eyes. She grinned at Liam, showing off two rows of tiny, pearly white teeth. More than one was missing.

“Liam!” Violet squawked with delight. Leslie murmured a quiet _aww_ to herself as she clutched Liam’s hands in her own, just about to give him the third degree for taking off like that.

“Violet, are you kidding me?”

All three of them turned to stare at the seething, breathless man who’d abruptly burst from the crowd to join their group. He stood with his hands on his hips, panting heavily, his focus entirely on the little girl whose beaming smile had totally vanished.

“Sorry, Daddy. But I saw Liam!”

 _Daddy_. The word clicked loudly in Leslie’s mind. She clamped her mouth shut, not trusting herself to keep from gaping at the man with delighted surprise. That’s her dad?!

He was very cute, face wise.

He was taller than her by several inches, even in her high heeled Captain Marvel boots, Leslie observed, now that he’d let his shoulders slump with visible relief. And there was no way he was any older than Leslie’s thirty-five years.

And he had the _nicest_ butt.

Why the hell hasn’t _this_ guy been at any PTA meetings?

From behind her sunglasses, Leslie let her gaze linger over the curves and angles of the man’s face: strong jaw, and thick, dark brown hair like his daughter, his brown eyes differing from her green eyes – though the man’s still flashed with remnants of panic.

“I don’t care! Don’t ever, _ever_ run away from me like that again!” His voice was textured with a light quaver that chipped tiny fractures into his words.

“Okay.” Leslie watched as Violet clung tighter to Liam’s hands.

“It’s okay,” Leslie interjected with a polite smile, finally uncurling her fingers from the back of Liam’s costume. “I had my eyes on them the whole time.” 

It wasn’t exactly the truth, but the kids were safe, and Leslie wanted nothing more than to assuage this man’s still-palpable anxiety over nearly losing his daughter in a rowdy horde of unfamiliar faces. “I’m Leslie Knope, Liam’s mom.”

Ben blinked at her once, twice, then shook his head, as if trying to clear away his last shreds of fear. “H - hi. Ben Wyatt.”

When Leslie took the hand Ben offered, she could feel how it trembled under her hold, sending light tingles on a slow, delicious journey all the way up her arm. She squeezed Ben’s hand firmly, reassuringly, reveling in the feel of rough palms and calloused fingers against her own smooth skin.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Leslie breathed, her voice suddenly gone airy and too high. The heat from Ben’s grip seeped into Leslie’s chest, sweeping the dust from a part of her heart she’d long ago locked up and abandoned. She was quickly in danger of melting, right there in the middle of Capitol Avenue, under Ben’s intense stare.

Was she imagining, or was he looking her over too?

“This is Liam, Daddy!” Violet’s voice burst up toward them, piercing the spell Ben had cast over him.

Oh, right. _Kids._ They both seemed to remember their children’s presence at the same time. Slowly, they released their handshake; the moment shifted towards awkward as Leslie realized how long they’d probably been standing there, frozen, holding hands and ogling each other. 

Ben tore his gaze away from Leslie’s and focused on the children beside them. He had to suppress an amused laugh when he took in both children’s expressions: a simultaneous mix of guilt and pink-cheeked embarrassment at both being scolded for running away without the guidance of their parents.

“Nice to finally meet you, Liam,” Ben said, smiling warmly down at the boy and causing pleasant flutters to take flight in Leslie’s belly.

“Do you like my costume, Liam? I picked it out just for you!” Violet spun a little – a swirl of tan and brown and blue from the lightsaber moving with her, braid swishing along too. Liam simply nodded, biting down on his bashful grin as he stared at her, captured by her presence.

Ben was suddenly hyper-aware that they were still standing in the street. People streamed all around them, cheering loudly and bumping against one another. “May I suggest we all get out of the road?” Ben proposed, flinching as a nearly naked Harley Quinn knocked into his back. “We should go inside the convention center.”

“Let’s go, Liam!” Violet pulled Liam by the hand toward the sidewalk, nodding back at her father when he demanded she stay close in front of them.

Leslie kept her eyes fixed on the kids’ backs as they marched a few paces ahead. Ben’s presence beside her filled her entire consciousness: the rhythmic sound of his now-calm breaths, the potent scent of soap and shampoo lingering like a warm halo around his body. He was dressed very appropriately as Spock from Star Trek, with his front bangs plastered down on his forehead and his eyebrows pointed up more so than she knew they usually did. She didn’t know much about Star Trek, but she knew that. 

Leslie bit her lip, searching her mind for something, _anything_ to say to Ben. Her normally confident demeanor was disappearing around her. 

Other moms she could handle. Moms were easy to talk to, and they were everywhere, penetrating every pore of Leslie’s life now that she had a child. Moms loved Leslie: they admired her ability to juggle work life and parenting life and they loved that she was a champion for education at their school, someone who would light a fire under the administration’s asses until she got what the kids needed.

But she was pathetically out of practice conversing with men. When was she ever alone with another man, a dad like this in fact? And a devastatingly handsome one at that, one who Leslie still held a grain of hope was, in fact, as single as she was.

Thankfully, Ben broke the silence between them. “Jesus, she’s going to give me a heart attack one of these days.” He blew out a harsh breath. “Shit.”

“She seems like a bit of a firecracker,” Leslie observed.

“Yeah,” Ben said through a laugh. “Sometimes... a little bit headstrong, you could say.”

“Where’d she get that from?” Leslie dared to let her still-hidden eyes roam down Ben’s frame once, taking in the way his costume fit over his body perfectly and how incredibly long his fingers were. _Oh please, oh please be single. Dear God._

The corners of Ben’s mouth curved upward in a small, tight smile. “Certainly not me.”

Leslie hummed in consideration – a teasing, flirty sound, surprising herself with the confidence that had swooped in from nowhere to take over her thoughts and words. “I have to say, I thought Liam was exaggerating slightly when he told me Violet was ‘the most beautiful girl in the whole world,’” she quoted, and they both chuckled. “But he might have actually undersold her a bit. She’s a gorgeous little girl.”

Ben’s smile perked up. “Thank you.” He shot Leslie a sideways glance that brimmed with significance, and oh, there were those butterflies again, flitting against the walls of Leslie’s stomach and making her crave more.

Leslie paused, briefly mulling her next words before letting them slide off her tongue with a saucy smile. “And I can clearly see where she inherited _that_ from.”

Ben couldn’t help himself. He blinked at Leslie in surprise, just as he’d reacted when the woman had introduced herself as Liam’s mother. His _mother._ This enthusiastic, effortlessly sophisticated woman who’d stood out like a beam of light among a nameless mass of thousands was a single parent, just like Ben.

She was also undeniably flirting with him.

Ben wasn’t exactly a stranger to romantic attention. Women liked him, sure, but it was few and far between these days, as he had his daughter to tend to and no real time for romantic pursuits. Women didn’t always like that he had a kid. But Leslie did, and it was because she too, was a single parent. That minor detail wasn’t a turnoff here. Rather, it was the thread that tied him and Leslie together: strong, meaningful, immediate, and a hell of a lot of attraction heaped on top.

Ben offered Leslie the most dazzling grin he could manage. He hadn’t smiled like this in… well, forever. He made a point, then, to rake his gaze rather conspicuously down Leslie’s entire body, taking in her blonde hair and the impossible angles the costume gave her. She still had her sunglasses on, and all he wanted to know was what color they would be. What color were her eyes, hidden behind those shades? Blue like her son’s?

He leaned in closer, edging past the boundaries of Leslie’s personal space for just a moment, and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Don’t tell Violet I said this, but we usually don’t allow guests to accompany us to this event. It’s a daddy daughter only tradition.”

“Well, I appreciate the privilege,” Leslie huffed good-naturedly, a playful smirk still painted on her lips. “It seemed like fun. Liam always tells me I need to relax more and do fun things with him instead of spending all of my time at Parks and Recreation Department.”

And then she was approaching the entrance to the convention center, and finally, _finally_ took her sunglasses off so that she could go inside. Ben noticed her eyes as soon as she slipped them off. _Blue._ Deep pools of blue, scintillating and joyful like her personality, shined bright. Probably the most beautiful eyes that Ben had even seen. 

“What is it that you do for work?” Something akin to a hungry craving tumbled in around in Ben’s gut as he asked the question. He wanted to learn more – everything about Leslie Knope. How did she spend her days? Where had she been hiding all this time, just out of Ben’s sight?

Leslie perked up at that question. “I’m the Deputy Director of the Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department.”

“Hmmm," Ben made a mental note to maybe, possibly find her at City Hall one of these days. He was sure he would end up there at some point. Fingers crossed. “That sounds interesting.”

“It is! I have political aspirations too, of course, but where I am now offers a lot of flexibility. And all of my friends are there, so I always have help with Liam. We have our own little family there and I love them.” Leslie’s voice turned wry. “Isn’t it funny how fast your dreams change when you have a kid? Running for office doesn’t seem as much a priority anymore when I have everything I need at my current job.”

Ben laughed in agreement. “You’re lucky. Our schedule is crazy, at best. I think it’s going to calm down now though, since I’m not traveling for work anymore and decided to settle down in Pawnee instead.”

Leslie’s eyebrows lifted a little, seemingly interested. She already like him enough, but the idea that he had decided to make Pawnee his home base made her like him even more. Out of all the cities in Indiana, he chose Pawnee. 

“You’re what, a…?”

“I’m a state auditor. I used to go around different cities in Indiana and slash the budgets because the towns were failing and mismanaging their money.” He chuckled and rolled his eyes skyward, as if he could see his own Spock bangs sitting atop his forehead. “I… don’t think you would have liked me very much if I had come to Pawnee to do the same.”

The smile he directed at Leslie was grim. “I finally told them to find me a place where I could put down roots because I was tired of travelling with her all of time. New towns, new schools, new friends.” Ben looked almost sick with guilty at this point. “She needed a sense of normalcy and I had to give that to her.”

“Ben.” Leslie’s use of his name sent a quick, sudden shock up Ben’s spine. “Pawnee is the greatest city in America. You’ve chosen well.” But Ben didn’t miss the unmistakably pleased expression written all over her face.

“Right here, Mom?” Leslie turned her attention to Liam as Ben gave his hair one last self-conscious pat. The kids had found the perfect spot where they could both explore and watch at a safe distance. 

“Perfect!” Leslie smiled fondly at her son before turning to look at Ben again. “I’ve tried to really let him foster his own independence, so he called his Uncle Andy and picked out his own costume. And then mine too. I’ve never been here so I wasn’t even sure what we were supposed to wear.”

Ben smiled at her, making a mental note to find out who Andy was. He just wanted to know more about her and her life. She was certainly an intriguing person. He had yet to look away since meeting her. “That’s a good idea. You know, teaching them independence and all.” 

“Isn’t it?”

He’d barely known her for a half hour, but Ben could already tell that Leslie Knope was one of those parents he envied; she seemed to have everything together and was a model mother. Nothing like Ben’s harried demeanor during his daily sprint between meals and work and meeting the babysitter ten minutes late to drop Violet off. He did everything on his own, and he was jealous of Leslie. A whole village of people who loved her son like their own. 

“You’ll need to teach me more of your tricks,” Ben murmured without thinking. His mouth promptly fell agape when his own words – well intentioned, but delivered like a terrible pickup line – reached his ears. He snapped his head to the side and came face-to-face with Leslie’s cocked head and incredulous stare. Silence hung between them for one long, frozen moment until Leslie dissolved into laughter. 

“Sorry,” Ben choked out. “I’m not – I didn’t - I swear I didn’t mean it like that.”

Leslie looked at him and gave him what he could only deem a mischievous smirk, and squeezed his arm reassuringly. “You’re cute when you’re awkward.” 

And Ben wanted to die right then and there because yes, Leslie was _definitely_ flirting with him now.

The lulls that punctuated their conversation after that were no longer awkward, but instead filled with comfort and contemplation. They kept a sliver of distance between themselves and the kids beside them, still close enough to watch, but offering ample privacy so that they could continue their flirty banter in peace.

“ViVi,” Ben remarked with a chuckle after Liam yelled her nickname again that morning. “She doesn’t ever let me call her that. Not anymore, anyway.” Ben’s voice turned soft, and seemed further away. “I used to, when she was a baby. That was my grandmother’s name – ViVi. Well, Violet. That’s where I got it from.”

“So, naturally… it’s your favorite flower, right?” Leslie teased.

“No,” Ben barked out a laugh. “Truthfully, my favorite flower is a wildflower, but I couldn’t exactly name my daughter that.”

This revelation made Leslie stop in her tracks. This man, this perfect single parent of a man, loved wildflowers. Her mind thought of one thing and one thing only: the wildflower mural on the second floor of City Hall, the one Leslie loved and the one place she wanted to go to, more than anywhere else. 

And only one word could cross her mind at that exact moment.

Soulmates. 

Maybe, just maybe.

Leslie pursed her lips, pausing to glance over at Liam before deciding to share her own story. “I named Liam after Liam Bonneville. He works at the National Parks Service, and he is very much one of my personal heroes.” She trailed off, looking sheepishly at Ben. “It seems kind of ridiculous when I tell other people where his name came from, especially someone like you who actually named his daughter something meaningful like a family name, and I didn’t.”

“It’s not stupid, Leslie. It’s a good name, from someone you admire. I like it.” Ben finally said, reassuring her with his tone, raising his face to look directly at Leslie. His voice was silky and intimate, a light sound that melded with the breeze and countered beautifully against the boisterous crowd. Leslie wanted to wrap herself in it. The comforting sound was like a blanket that offered peaceful solace from loneliness and worry and the frantic pace of life.

Leslie nodded once, gracefully jutting her chin out, then lowering it down. Her lips were curved in the barest hint of a knowing smile. Still she stayed turned away, seemingly focused on the kids as they chattered and giggled. She loved that Ben didn’t dismiss her explanation. Everyone else had told her it was stupid to name Liam after someone she had never met, including Mark.

But Ben didn’t. 

Now here was Ben, out of nowhere. Dropped from the sky like some kind of wondrous gift and smiling at Leslie like he’d just found his own hidden treasure. What were the chances? 

Leslie and Ben both slid closer to Liam and Violet, caging their children safely between their legs and the other convention goers. Prickly waves of heat poured over Ben’s body as Leslie’s shoulder pressed snugly against his own and stayed there: warm and solid and unyielding, like an anchor he could lean into and hang on to, keeping himself grounded.

“I’ve never actually been to this before,” Leslie confessed. “I’m not normally interested in this kind of stuff, to be quite honest.”

Ben hummed in response. “It’s okay. I know you only came because my daughter asked your son.”

“I think I might grow to like it,” Leslie had that smirk again and Ben couldn’t resist smiling widely back. “And you’re here, so that makes me interested in it.”

And with that, he knew he was screwed. 

He was falling for Leslie Knope.

As she straightened back up, Leslie happened to catch the sunlight glint against the silver hands of her watch. How was it eleven already? She groaned to herself at the thought of leaving and abandoning this wonderful morning with Ben, this safe cocoon within the buzzing crowd. Dragging her blissful son away from his friend – girlfriend, whatever. And leaving Ben behind.

“I really need to get going here in a few,” Leslie said apologetically to Ben. “I’m working on a huge project at work and I really need to pour my all into it.”

Ben barely thought for a second before the words were spilling out of his mouth. “Well, I could watch the kids while you take care of whatever you need to, if you’re interested.”

“Seriously? You want to do that?” Leslie looked more than a little surprised. 

“Of course! I mean, if you’re comfortable with it. I’d hate to pull them apart when they’re having so much fun.”

“Yeah, but… I really would feel awful about giving you another kid on your weekend off. And you driving all the way back to Pawnee with two kids in tow…” 

Ben waved a dismissive hand. “Nonsense. I don’t mind. Really, it’s not a problem.”

With one last wary glance in Ben’s direction, Leslie squatted down again to reach her son’s ear. “Hey, Liam? If I let you stay here with Violet while I go to work, will you be on your best behavior?”

His eyes positively lit up with joy. “Yes! Yes, Mommy! I promise!”

“Okay. When the convention is over, Mr. Wyatt is going to bring you back to City Hall, alright?”

“Okay!”

Leslie pointed a finger up at Ben, keeping her gaze firmly locked on Liam’s. “Mr. Wyatt is in charge. You have to listen to everything he says. Got it?”

He nodded once, before parroting back, “Got it!”

“Because he’s going to have my number, and if you do anything wrong – ”

“Okay, _Mom!_ ”

“Give me a kiss before I go,” Leslie ordered. Liam turned his face, but not his eyes, away from the spectacles for the briefest moment to smack a wet kiss against her cheek. Leslie returned it, then another, and another. “Bye, Liam.”

“Bye,” Liam said faintly, too engrossed in the commotion around to pay him a speck more attention.

Leslie stood back up to face Ben, one hand still gripping Liam’s shoulder. “Um. Let me... let me give you my number. So that you know where to find me when you get back to Pawnee.”

“Yeah. Yeah, course,” Ben stammered, reaching into his back pocket. Moments after Leslie rattled off her number and Ben tapped the digits into the phone, Leslie’s phone buzzed in her pocket.

“That’s me,” Ben said, smiling lightly as Leslie pulled out her phone.

“Great!” Leslie swallowed hard as she stared at the tiny digits on the screen. A foreign flutter of nerves wound around her chest and coiled in her throat, leaving her breathless. “I should be at City Hall later today when you guys are back in town. There’s a slight chance I might be at my house though, so I’ll text you the exact addresses of both?”

“Sure. I’ll be in touch,” Ben tacked on, tossing Leslie a wave and one last beaming smile as she started to weave her way through the crowd. 

_Leslie Knope_. Ben typed the name into his contacts as he strode towards the entrance, wearing a goofy grin. His anxious breath escaped his body in a whoop of glee when he realized it’d only be a few hours before he would see her again.


	4. Chapter 4

Little Liam added a bright ray of sunny color to Ben and Violet’s normally placid routine. Father and daughter duo often exchanged words with just their gazes, but Liam vocalized every thought, wish, and observation in an unfiltered stream of chatter. 

“I’m hungry,” Liam announced abruptly as Ben led the kids to White River State Park once they had managed to escape the convention center a few hours later. Ben watched him eye a street vendor selling soft pretzels. “Can we get something to eat?”

“Violet has snacks in her bag,” Ben told him. “There’s carrots and raisins and crackers.”

“Okay,” Liam said with a heavy sigh that contradicted his spoken word. “I _guess_.”

The three found a spot in the grass as the remnants of the crowd streamed around them, mixing and mingling with different people dressed in costume and cosplay, infusing their own unique hues into the colorful rabble. Ben smiled, knowing that this year’s affairs were over and that next year he would be taking Violet again, as he always did. 

But maybe next time, they would have two additional fans joining them.

He hoped. 

The weather that day had turned out as perfect as Ben could ever imagine. He turned his face upward, gazing at the clear, deep blue sky through his sunglasses. He’d worried that it might rain today, but instead he was worried about a sunburn. They’d have to move to the shade soon, before he and Violet turned red as boiled lobsters. But for one brief moment, Ben let himself revel in the feel of warm, crisp rays of sunshine against his skin, burning away the clouds of stress and doubt that always hovered just over his shoulder.

Because today was a day for happiness. Somehow, he was sure of that.

“Here, Liam. Do you want a carrot?” Violet offered him a single baby carrot he’d pulled from a small plastic bag. The gesture seemed to win Liam over on Ben’s snack options. He grinned at her, plucking the offered veggie from her hand and crunching down on it as loudly as he could, eliciting a laugh from Violet.

They were adorable, the two of them together; still too close to babies for their “relationship” to be anything more than a sweet exchange of snacks and giggles and games. Their conversation ran the gamut from favorite books and movies to Violet’s karate classes to Liam’s love of drumming – “My Uncle Andy taught me. One time, he let me play with his band... it was so cool!” – and with the meal and the chitchat and their romantic spot in the park, it really was like a date.

_Glad one of us has an active love life._

“Mr. Wyatt?” Liam spoke politely.

“Yes, Liam?”

“Where did ViVi’s mommy go?”

Ben startled at his question. His gaze immediately darted toward Violet, who was staring into the spray of the fountain in front of them. “She lives in Minnesota,” Ben answered cautiously, still keeping his eyes trained on his daughter’s blank face. “Her grandparents also live there.”

Liam perked up at that. “My grandma lives in Pawnee!”

“Just your grandma, huh? Do you see her a lot or just holidays?”

“Yeah, my grandpa died way before I was born, when my mom was little,” Liam nodded once. “But we see her all the time! She gives me the _best_ Christmas presents every year!”

“Hmmm,” Ben’s mind flashed back to the snowy previous Christmas he and Violet had spent at his mom’s house in Partridge. They’d baked dozens of cookies together, promptly darting back to the warm, fire-lit living room with each new batch and curling together under piles of blankets to hide from the icy cold. He loved Christmases with her, watching her child-like wonder and her face full of joy light up as she received presents and set out treats for Santa. The best part about being a parent was seeing the world through his daughter's eyes. 

What was Leslie’s family like? How did she celebrate holidays? Her dad had died, as Liam had said – how young had she really been and what had happened to him? He wanted to know more about her, but he had to hold himself back; he couldn’t press a seven-year-old for more information. He’d have to find out from Leslie Knope herself. And God, did he want to get know her. 

“I never met anybody else who just has a daddy until I met Violet,” Liam told him, in the most innocent way. “Well, I have a daddy. But he doesn’t live around here. I haven’t seen him since before I can even remember.”

Ben always kept his focus in the present and looking forward to the future, rather than glancing in the rearview at his past. That part of his life was unchangeable, permanently etched into time. He had his daughter, albeit from such a difficult situation, and he wouldn’t change a single piece of it. But Liam’s words filled him with an insatiable curiosity. He was dying to know – what was Leslie’s backstory? Was it possibly similar to his own: a surprise baby and no relationship with the other parent, left to raise a child on her own too? 

How hard was it for Leslie, Ben wondered, raising a daughter without a partner? He knew she had her mother and close friends in Pawnee, but what about Liam’s father?

“My daddy’s name is Mark,” Liam continued without pause. _Mark._ Ben made a mental note to ask Leslie about it later, if he was afforded the chance. “What’s Violet’s mommy’s name?”

Ben didn’t answer right away. He didn’t want to talk about this – not now, not ever again, really, but especially not here, on this beautiful day with the summer sun melting away all his worries.

“Cindy,” he finally replied, and only because he knew the silence had stretched too long. “Her name is Cindy.”

“Does ViVi ever see her?”

Both Ben and Violet responded in unison. “No.”

Liam smiled at Violet, and they shared a glance Ben recognized as one of unity – finally finding someone who was just like you after a long, hard search. He knew it because he’d seen the same look staring back at him from one Leslie Knope just a few short hours ago.

Liam was quiet for only a moment. “My dad ran away to another city,” he sighed dramatically, sounding eerily like an adult trapped in a seven-year old’s body. “I don’t think Mommy likes him very much. But Mommy doesn’t like anyone anyways. She doesn’t even have a _boyfriend_!” Liam shot Ben a grin, and instantly the spirited little boy was giggling like it was the most amusing joke ever told.

_No boyfriend? Single?_

_Good news for me._

_I might have a chance._

“Okay, guys!” Ben sang, clapping his hands once to halt Liam’s endless stream of too-much-information in its tracks. His cheeks felt flushed; whether it was from the sun or the final, glorious confirmation that Leslie was actually single, _thank God_ , Ben couldn’t tell. “I’m going to move this fun adventure to that bench over there in the shade. Why don’t you play for a little while before we have to get going?”

“Okay!” Liam bolted up first, skipping on tiny legs to the bench. Violet hung back, slowly gathering the remnants of their snacks and returning them to her backpack. Ben waited for her to finish cleaning up before joining his lazy pace toward where Liam was sitting.

“Hey,” Ben nudged Violet’s shoulder with his hip, trying to get his daughter to smile. “You okay?”

She nodded, unfazed by the question. “Uh huh.”

“You know I love you.”

A shrug from her. “I know.”

“As much as two parents in one body.”

A small twitch at one corner of her lips. “I know.”

“Maybe as much as three parents. Four! Ten! A hundred! A million parents in one body!”

Violet giggled then, and Ben breathed a tiny sigh of relief. Violet knew her story; she knew she was enveloped in love and support from her family, small as it was: Ben, her Uncle Henry and Aunt Stephanie, Uncle Chris and even Ben’s parents, a little over six hundred miles away. But still, she was only seven. Still so young, and prone to confusion about their unique situation and bouts of sulkiness because she was a little girl and she didn’t have a mom like her peers.

Ben gave her shoulders a gentle push. “Go have fun with your boyfriend. It’s almost time to go.” And he laughed in spite of himself as Violet promptly began chasing after Liam, whose blue eyes sparkled just like his mother’s.

On their way out of the park twenty minutes later, Ben caved and bought them a steaming hot pretzel to share before they began their journey back to Pawnee. He just couldn’t say no to his daughter, and now Liam too, and he honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.

True to her word, Leslie had sent Ben a text message with the address of City Hall. “510 Illinois St, Pawnee, IN 74058,” Ben recited to his built in GPS, and they were off toward their destination. He realized that it would be about two hours before he got to see her again, and he couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

**Ben Wyatt: Thanks! On our way!**

**Leslie Knope: Did Liam behave?**

Ben started typing out a response, but quickly deleted it. Instead, he snapped a picture of the two kids in the backseat, wearing matching grins and clutching each side of what remained of their pretzel. 

**Ben Wyatt: See for yourself! He’s an awesome little dude. We had a great time.**

**Leslie Knope: Thanks, I owe you one!**

**Ben Wyatt: No, you don’t. But if you insist, that’s a debt I’d be happy to collect.**

**Leslie Knope: ;)**

Anticipation drummed a steady beat in Ben’s chest by the time they finally reached City Hall. He couldn’t wait to see Leslie again – and in her element, completely transformed into Deputy Director Leslie Knope. What was she like at work? What was she like as a boss? He was definitely thinking of her in her government role, nothing short of a fantasy for him. That would be like icing on the cake, as if Leslie could possibly be any more attractive to him, any more mouth-watering.

“I love coming to my mom’s job!” Liam announced as they made their way inside. “It’s my favorite here.”

“Where’s your mom’s office?”

“Down this hall!”

Liam dragged Ben down the long hallway, stopping when he saw a row of pictures on the wall. Pawnee City Council members, rows and rows of men, and one single woman, the last picture among all of them. Leslie Knope. 

His mouth curved into a grin when his eyes fell on Leslie’s picture. She was beautiful – powerful, determined, passionate - he could see it all in this one photo and it only added fuel to the fire, keeping his brittle heart warm. Even in the small photo, Leslie’s eyes, her smile looked so warm and welcoming, like a woman Ben would dream of, if he ever let himself dream about those sorts of things.

Ben’s gaze dipped down to devour the short bio printed under her picture.

_Leslie is thrilled to join Pawnee’s City Council as its newest member. Leslie is a graduate of Indiana University, where she received her B.S. in Recreation. She’d like to dedicate her public service to the love of her life, Liam, who inspires her every day to be a better mother, public servant and citizen of Pawnee._

If Ben thought he’d been in danger of melting earlier, his heart was now little more than an incinerated pile of dust.

Ben snapped his jaw shut, hoping nobody had noticed him gaping like a fish out of water. He swallowed hard, trying to clear away the dry lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. But the inside of his mouth still tingled. She was the superhero in her small town, the Spiderman of public service. 

“There’s my mom!” Ben heard Liam whisper to Violet.

 _Shit_. It was a slap of a reminder that he was standing next to children, his child, Leslie’s child. _No more gawking at Leslie Knope!_

Ben ducked his head and turned his wide-eyed gaze toward Violet and Liam, both running towards the other end of the hallway. 

There was Leslie, greeting both children enthusiastically, stooping down and hugging each with one arm. She looked up at Ben again, and shot him an apologetic look, tapped her watch and mouthed ‘I’ll be right back’. _Dear God._ He most definitely went weak in the knees when she shot him a wink and a wave.

Her text came barely a minute after she had cleared the hallway.

**Leslie Knope: I’ll only be a little bit longer!**

**Ben Wyatt: We’ll be here!**

Ben couldn’t stop the smile that spread over his face when, exactly twenty minutes later, Leslie burst into the hallway from a side door and hoisted a squealing Liam up in her arms. “Hi, little man! I missed you!” Ben heard her say as she crushed him in a tight embrace – just the same way her loving voice gently squeezed around Ben’s heart.

It clenched impossibly tighter when Leslie reached down to ruffle Violet’s hair. “Hi, Violet,” Leslie greeted her amiably, as if she hadn’t just met the little girl that morning. “Where’s your lightsaber?”

“It’s in the car. Dad said I couldn’t wear it in here.”

“Ah, I see,” Leslie finally fixed her gaze on Ben then, and grinned so large that Ben wanted to sink down into his seat on the bench in the hallway and sigh. Leslie set Liam back down on his feet before closing the distance between them, plopping into the seat. “Hi, Ben. You’re here.”

A sudden punch of prickly, anxious heat shot up from Ben’s stomach and exploded in the center of his chest. “I am.”

 _Can. Not. Breathe._ Ben couldn’t even move. He just sat there, rigid, frozen with disbelief that Leslie was real and this was actually happening. She wanted him here, more than just to return her child to her like a babysitter. She’d invited him to somewhere that meant so much to her, invited him into her life when she didn’t have to, with her child. It was intimate and personal, and it only made him crave more from her. 

Leslie let the silence linger for a moment before speaking again. “So, how was the rest of the convention?” 

The indelible, positively glorious image of Leslie in her Captain Marvel costume immediately flashed in front of Ben’s vision. “Good,” he squeaked as a bright, hot flush of color rose high in his cheeks. He cleared his throat before continuing. “The kids had fun. After the convention, we went to the park and had a picnic. Liam was very enthusiastically telling me all about your life. He even mentioned his dad a few times.”

Leslie’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Why was he talking about that?”

“Oh, well…” Ben took a deep breath, steeling himself. He was suddenly very nervous about revealing a part of himself that he normally kept at bay, a secret he never really let anyone else in on. “He was asking about Vi’s mother, and I told him her name. And it kind of just flowed from there. I’m sorry.”

“No, _I’m_ sorry,” Leslie groaned. “He knows he’s not supposed to be asking things like that. He shouldn’t have been prying like that.”

“No, no, it’s totally okay,” Ben reassured her. He pursed his lips and pressed on. “I think it’s good, you know. That they get to know each other like this. Spending time like this together shows them that they’re not alone… single parents and all. I know that for her, it’s hard being the only one with just a dad.” 

Leslie laughed humorlessly. “I know what you mean. Liam doesn’t really get the concept of a girlfriend yet, but I do think it’s super cute that they have each other, especially given the nature of our situations,” she watched Ben for one more long moment before suddenly reaching over and placing her free hand on Ben’s arm. “Hey, listen. I just wanted to say thanks for taking Liam today. I know he can be a handful – I mean, he _is_ my child, after all – and I just really appreciate you taking him so that I could attend to business here but him not missing out on the fun of today. You didn’t have to, especially on your time off with your daughter. I meant what I said when I told you that I owe you one.”

“Well,” Ben answered automatically, locking eyes with her. _Those blue eyes. They got me._ “You could make it up to me by letting me take you out to dinner.”

Leslie’s eyes widened, mouth agape. “I - ”

“You know what, I’m sure you’re busy,” Ben backpedaled, waving away the suggestion. “Violet and I can just go, so -”

“ _Ben._ " She gave him a look, peering up at him through long eyelashes. She had a smirk on her face and it took everything in him to resist the urge to kiss it right off her face. “You’re cute when you’re awkward.”

“So that’s a yes then?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” Ben just couldn’t stop the grin that spread widely across his face. “Okay. Yeah, yeah,” Ben stumbled over the words in his rush to accept. “That sounds great. I’ll just… I’ll have to find someone to watch Vi, though.” 

“Oh, right,” Leslie’s whole face creased with a frown. “It’s okay if you can’t. We could, maybe, do it some other time or something. I mean, that’s totally fine - ”

“No! No,” Ben waved his hands in front of him. “I have someone. He’ll do it. It’s... it’s okay. Tonight is okay. Perfect,” he immediately corrected himself, then grinned, mirroring Leslie’s happy expression.

“Perfect,” Leslie echoed. “Really perfect.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter goes out to Mandy. I hope this makes you smile! <3

_You’ve reached the phone of Burt Macklin, FBI! Nah, just kidding, it’s Andy Dwyer! Gotcha! Leave a message after the beep. Or don’t. I don’t care! Haha!_

“Andy, I know April went to Orin’s show tonight and you’re sitting at home by yourself in your underwear watching Roadhouse – or who knows what else – so get your ass over to my house and babysit Liam for me so I can go out to dinner with a man for the first time in a year!”

\--------------------

Ben was pretty sure the nervous tingles that kept blooming and surging in his chest had nothing to do with the fact that he had to get these financial reports done as soon as possible, and everything to do with the fact that he wanted them done, _now_ , so he could fly out of the house and meet up with a beautiful blue eyed woman for dinner.

Or, maybe, because he was in the middle of telling his daughter about his plans to go out on a date with Leslie Knope.

“So, does that mean you like her?”

Ben had never done this. Never sat his daughter down and told her about his personal life beyond the vague, “I’m going out on a date with a woman tonight, and no, it isn’t your mother.” It had never been worth it before, with the few pathetic attempts at dating he’d scattered across their years together.

He'd also never introduced any woman he was dating to his daughter, but this was different, as Violet had already met Leslie. He silently thanked his lucky starts because that meant if he and Leslie actually were to become something - and oh, he wanted them to become something - he wouldn't have to dread or deal with that hard part. 

He was probably crazy – he’d only just met Leslie this morning, after all – but for some reason, Ben thought this time might be worth it.

“Yeah...” In practice, the conversation was turning out a heck of a lot more awkward than he had ever imagined. “You could say that.”

Violet was quiet, as if she was pondering the idea of her father liking somebody romantically, somebody she’d met in the flesh, rather than the abstract image of a girl she’d created her mind.

“I like her too,” Violet finally declared. “She’s nice and cool. And she’s really pretty, just like Liam.”

Ben blew out a breath he had no idea he’d been holding. It was vital, he realized in that moment, that Violet liked whomever he dated. He couldn’t ever try to bring somebody into the fold of their tiny family without her stamp of approval, which wasn’t something she handed out easily. The fact that Leslie had received it so soundly fueled another blossom of warm, anxious joy in the pit of Ben’s stomach.

He was about to tell her exactly that when a light rap at the door interrupted them.

“Hello, Violet Wyatt!” Chris greeted Violet brightly as he poked his head into Ben’s office.

“Uncle Chris!” Violet’s entire face lit up when she saw him step into the room. She jumped up from the office couch where she’d been sitting with Ben, abandoning their intimate conversation in favor of throwing her arms around his waist. Ben chuckled as he watched Violet squeeze with as much strength as her little arms could muster. “I had the best day of my whole entire life today!” she said, her enthusiastic words muffled by the fabric of Chris’s running shirt.

“Wow!” Chris exclaimed as she returned Violet’s embrace. “You better tell me all about it on the ride home. But I must talk to your dad first, okay?”

“Okay!” Violet ran back to the couch and plopped down on her butt, picking up the book she’d dropped to the wayside when Ben had sat down with her to talk.

When Ben approached Chris, he greeted him with the same friendly, toothy smile he always wore. Chris had been Violet’s “uncle” since the day she was born. Ben and Chris would take shifts watching her when they had to visit other cities for their job, and Ben had sometimes felt like Chris was the other parent. Now that he had settled down in one place, he still wanted Chris to be active in her life, despite living in Indianapolis and working at the main office. Ben loved living in Pawnee now, but he missed the constant that Chris had been when they were traveling. Chris was far and away the Wyatts’ favorite, and he was all Ben really had. The rest of his family was back in Minnesota, which he only visited a few times a year. Ben didn’t know what he’d do without Chris’s help and the love he had for his daughter.

“You’re a lifesaver, Chris,” Ben thanked him, and grinned sheepishly. “I, um, I actually have a date, so…”

“Oh?” 

“Yeah. I have...” Ben actually had trouble spitting out the word through the grin that suddenly wanted to split his face in two. “I have a date.”

“Really?” Chris shot him a roguish grin. “Well, it’s about time! That is _literally_ the best news I have heard all week!”

He was sure he was grinning like an utter fool now. “Yeah, her... her name is Leslie. She’s really just - kind and funny and smart and we have so much in common.”

“And she’s cute too, I hope,” Chris added with a wink.

Ben thought of Leslie’s eyes, how they sparkled like some kind of rare blue crystal, how his own heart raced and begged for more when Leslie smiled at him as they exchanged flirty banter, natural and effortless like they’d known each other for years instead of hours. “Yeah,” he sighed dreamily. He thought about blonde hair and blue eyes. “She is.”

Chris laughed at him. “Boy, you already look like you’re smitten! Where did you meet this fabulous woman that has captured your attention?”

“At the convention. Oh, that’s the best part. She has a child too. Violet actually had a date with her son today.” Ben rolled his eyes as he said the word.

“Oh, you mean Liam?”

His question instantly wiped Ben’s goofy smile away. “You know about Liam?”

“Of course!” Chris answered, as if the entire world knew. “For roughly two weeks now.”

Ben frowned. “She only told me about him yesterday.”

“Well, you know we have our talks,” Chris shrugged. “She called me and she was _so_ excited. Maybe she was more comfortable telling me first.”

Ben’s frown threatened to deepen to a pout. “But… she always tells me everything.”

Chris winced at him, as if he knew he was about to hurt Ben’s feelings. “Ben, there’s just some things girls don’t want to talk about with their dads. I’m sure she didn’t mean to hurt your feelings regarding the matter.”

Of course. He knew that. It was important – critical – for Violet to have more people in her life to talk to, someone she could trust and confide in. But she was only seven. Still his baby girl. Did she already need more than he could give her?

He was still standing in place, but all of a sudden Ben felt winded. His life up to this point had been a race; now he’d stopped to catch his breath, only to see Violet sprinting far ahead, out of his reach.

Ben forced himself to shake it off. It was just a silly childhood crush, and she had told him… eventually. “Thanks for being there for her, Chris,” he said, pushing the corners of his mouth up in a smile that he hoped looked genuine, because he meant every word. “You have no idea how much I appreciate it. Appreciate you.”

“It’s my pleasure, Ben! You know I love her. So, don’t worry about us tonight – I’ll stay as late as you need me. I have some reading about the Abkhasian people – you know they were the longest living people to date? Fascinating stuff.” With one last smile, Chris turned to reach out a hand to Violet. “Okay, Violet Wyatt. Time to go home. We’re going to make popcorn that does not have trans fat whatsoever, and then you are going to tell me all about your date. I want details.”

Violet blushed – actually blushed – and nodded shyly. “Okay. Bye, Daddy!”

Ben sighed when the door closed behind them. It’d only be another blink of an eye before Violet would be all grown up. She’d be going on dates with lots of boys – real ones, not just a cute seven-year-old she liked to hold hands with. She wouldn’t need him anymore, and she definitely wouldn’t want to hang out in her father’s office, reading novels and describing to him every fact and detail about the plot.

But Ben still had a lot of years left to care for her, to nourish her needs and provide her with the best life he could offer. And along with Violet’s life, he needed to look out for his own too. Because change also meant there were new things awaiting him, things that made his pulse pound with excitement and hope, not just pangs of wistful sadness. Things that could shape and grow his life outside of his role as a dad.

The grin snuck back onto Ben’s face when he thought about Leslie again. Twenty-four hours ago, he hadn’t even known she had existed and now he could barely think of anything else. And in just a few more, they’d be sitting across from one another, sharing a meal and drinks, and Ben would get to dig deeper, uncovering new gems in the treasure trove he’d seemingly stumbled upon without searching for.

But first, he still had to get through his damn work.

\--------------------

“Dude! I wasn’t in my underwear,” Andy insisted as he strode unannounced through the front door of Leslie’s house, holding an enormous box of pizza.

Leslie immediately stopped pacing her well-worn path across the floor. “I don’t need the details,” she said, holding up a hand to keep Andy from elaborating. She eyed the pizza box Andy threw down on the kitchen table. “I have food here, you know. I was going to leave you money to order something.”

“You know I don’t want your money,” Andy flipped open the lid and pulled out a monster slice of pepperoni, scarfing half of it down in one bite. “Sfo, a daye?” he asked, his voice muffled by his full mouth.

“God, hasn’t April taught you any manners?” Leslie shook her head and made a sound of disgust. “Just please do me a favor and try not to pass on your barbaric eating habits to my son, would you?”

Andy swallowed before speaking again. “Okay. Anything else you want to yell at me for before you go?”

Leslie briefly let her eyelids slip shut, then blew out a long, slow breath. “I’m sorry. I’m just – I’m a little nervous right now. You know I haven’t... dated anyone in a really long time. I only just met this guy today, but I really like him. He’s sweet and he’s smart and god, he’s so cute, face wise.” She was vaguely aware that her words were running together as she rambled, but she had to get her thoughts out. She’d been stewing here for an hour now, with nerves and doubt and giddy glee tumbling through her body.

Leslie sunk down into one of the four chairs lining the edge of the dining table. “I mean, I’m pretty sure it’s a date. He asked me to meet him so we could talk more. Without the kids around. That sounds like a date, doesn’t it?”

Andy swallowed his second mouthful of pizza and quirked a shoulder. “Yeah, I guess so.” Then he took another giant bite from his slice.

Leslie stared up at him, her jaw hanging open with incredulity. “Andy! Were you even listening to me?” She tapped her fingernails against the small space of tabletop not covered by greasy cardboard. “I’m kind of freaking out here!”

“Leslie, relax. It’s just dinner or whatever. People go out to dinner all the time.”

“Not me,” Leslie muttered. “Not people with seven-year-olds.”

“Yeah. Speaking of that. How’d you manage to bag a date, anyway, Miss ‘There’s-not-a-man-in-Pawnee-who’ll-date-me-so-why-even-bother-looking?’” Andy waggled his head back and forth as he spoke, attempting a poor imitation of Leslie’s high-pitched voice.

It earned him a vicious glare. “I met him at the convention this morning. He’s the dad of Liam’s… Liam’s girlfriend.”

“He’s a single parent too? Weird.” Andy chewed silently for a moment before his eyes suddenly grew big. “Wait, Liam has a girlfriend?”

Leslie shrugged. “She’s not, like, a real girlfriend. They’re only seven -”

“Dude!” Andy exclaimed, speaking over Leslie as Liam ventured out of his bedroom. “You’ve got a girlfriend?”

Liam froze in his tracks. His eyes were wide, like a deer in headlights.

“Okay, well, seems like you can take over things from here,” Leslie lifted herself up from her seat. “I’m going to get going, Liam. Make sure to tell Uncle Andy all about our day with Violet.”

Liam didn’t respond. He eyed Leslie curiously. “Where are you going, Mom?”

“I’m just having dinner with Violet’s dad, like I told you. And then I’ll come straight home.” Leslie put her left heel on and examined her outfit, her hair, her teeth in the mirror one last time before walking over to Liam and sweeping him into a tight embrace. “I won’t be too late. I promise.” She bent down and kissed her son’s baby-soft cheek. “I love you.”

When she straightened back up again, Leslie turned on her heels and pointed a single finger in Andy’s face. “Oh, yeah. And don’t destroy my house.”

Andy threw one hand up in surrender as he polished off the slice of pizza in his other. “Ooofay,” he promised, his voice once again smothered by his full mouth. “Hey. Goo ruck.”

Leslie managed a small, amused smile. “Thanks, Andy.”

With one last wave to Liam, Leslie breezed out the door. Butterflies quickly took flight in her stomach as she left her house. 

There was just something special about tonight.


	6. Chapter 6

“Hi.”

The feeling rushed back as soon as Ben spotted Leslie standing on the brightly lit sidewalk outside of his office, biting her bottom lip as she watched for Ben’s figure to exit the building. It was like a thousand frantic butterflies had emerged from their hidden cocoons and all tried to fly at once, bumping against Ben’s stomach and his windpipe and his heart. They threatened to burst through his skin and soar up, up to the stars when the two locked eyes and Leslie beamed at him, then offered her simple greeting.

“Hey.” Ben’s voice was breathless, revealing his anxiety, and the way he’d sprinted through his afterhours work routine so he could get here, right here, in front of Leslie. Finally.

He tried, so hard, not to leer when he let his gaze drop down the front of Leslie’s body. Leslie had changed clothes since Ben last saw her that afternoon, and he almost couldn’t take how beautiful she looked. Someone who knew exactly how to make herself look good. Who was trying to look her best. For Ben. For their date together.

“You look fantastic.”

“Thank you,” Leslie’s upturned lips twitched with amusement. “I like your tie.”

Instinctively, Ben’s hand went to the navy tie at his neck, the one he’d had to re-tie twice in his office where he had gotten dressed, just five minutes earlier, because his trembling fingers wouldn’t cooperate. “Too much?” he asked, wrinkling his nose self-deprecatingly.

Leslie simply shook her head: slow, exaggerated swings back and forth, with her eyes fixed on Ben’s the entire time. “So, where to?”

Ben hardly knew the place, having moved to Pawnee so recently, but he knew a romantic Italian restaurant might win her over. He’d stored it in the back of his mind as the perfect spot to bring a date, if he ever got the chance.

Leslie was his chance.

“Like Italian?”

“As long as there’s no kids menu in sight.”

Ben grinned. “No kids tonight. Just us. Follow me.” He dared to place a hand at the small of Leslie’s back and push, ever so lightly, guiding Leslie in the direction of his own movement down the sidewalk. The contact of his rough skin against soft, warm fabric was brief, but left a scalding burn on Ben’s palm that he clutched in his fist as they walked.

They strolled together over several blocks, light conversation and jovial chuckles peppering their journey, until they reached the restaurant with its quiet, charming back patio that belied its location just blocks away from the bustling downtown area. It looked exactly the way Ben remembered it, here once before to try the calzones, of course – but even better, actually, because now Leslie was in it.

They sat at a table in the back corner, ensconced in the vaguely humid air of that balmy June night, sharing plates and stories among them. 

“So, I don’t meet many other parents like you,” Ben began, breaking a lull in their banter with what he hoped was a smooth opening to the talk he was dying to have.

“Like me?”

“Yup.”

Leslie’s eyes were a prism of blue in the soft, sparkling glow of fairy lights strung around the garden’s perimeter. “How so?”

Ben shot her a knowing look. “Come on.”

An adorably coy smile played on Leslie’s lips. “I have no earthly idea what you mean, Ben. Please, tell me…” She propped her chin on her hand and leaned forward, closer to the flicker of candlelight in the middle of their table. “What am I like?”

Ben inhaled a shallow breath. “You know. Another single parent my age.”

“Mmmhmmm?” Leslie’s light, teasing murmur prodded him to elaborate.

“Who’s… like me.” Why was it so difficult to form words? Was it the effect of the alcohol flowing warm through his veins? Or was it those damn eyes on him, piercing through him, fueling his adrenaline and stealing his ability to think?

Leslie arched a questioning eyebrow. “You mean, another parent who brings her child to Comic Con?”

Ben opened his mouth to respond, but his intended words somehow morphed into a burst of laughter. “Yes.” 

Leslie hummed again, cocking her head and letting her gaze roam over Ben’s face. “If I recall, I told you I only went because your daughter invited my son.”

“Yes. Well, you know. The point is… ah…”

“Ben?”

“Yeah?”

“Breathe.”

Ben laughed, blowing out a short, quick puff of air. “Jesus. Why is this so hard?”

“Well, if you’re anything like me – which, I’m pretty sure you were just trying to tell me I am – ” Leslie winked at him, setting another round butterflies free inside Ben’s gut “– it’s because you haven’t been out on a date in, oh, maybe a year? And you can’t remember how to talk to another adult?”

Ben couldn’t help himself. He grinned, hugely, until his cheeks ached. “Right?”

They both laughed together, the merry sounds of their voices mingling over their little table. But Ben kept grinning at Leslie as he reached for his drink.

“What?” Leslie queried, pulling her glass from her lips after taking a long, slow sip.

“What you said.”

Leslie’s eyes rolled upward as she searched her memory. “What did I say?”

“That we’re on a date.”

Instantly, Leslie’s characteristically cool composure vanished, her eyes widening. “Oh. Did I say that?” 

“You did.”

“I - I mean, if… if you want it to be - ” she stuttered, a rosy blush blooming on her cheeks. She looked exactly how Ben felt, and for the first time that day, Ben wondered if Leslie was experiencing the same wild, nervous flutter of butterflies inside his own chest.

“Leslie.”

Leslie snapped her mouth shut, staring quietly, intently at Ben with those eyes: big and clear and blue and gorgeous in the candlelight. How in the world could Ben not want to date her?

“I definitely want it to be.”

“Okay.” A beat. Then she smiled, slowly, until it filled her entire face. “Good.”

“I just thought it was cute when you said it,” Ben admitted as he reached for his drink, gripping the cool, smooth glass in his palm. He needed to hold on to something, because he was dangerously close to lunging over the table and clinging rather embarrassingly to Leslie. He somehow managed to take another sip of the drink he was nursing through his goofy grin, enjoying the delicious, sweet-and-tangy explosion of flavor on his taste buds. It was so good. Everything was so damn good right now.

“But there’s just one thing…”

“What’s that?”

“I don’t believe for a second that you haven’t been on a date in a year.”

Leslie barked out a laugh. “Oh, I swear to you that I have not. The last date I went on was last summer. One and done. Men...” she trailed off, shaking her head. “They don’t usually want to date a single mom.”

“I have the same problem. Women I meet, they... you can see the fear in their eyes when you tell them you have a kid,” Ben imitated a look he’d received once: a quick, wide-eyed flash of panic, then a slow turn of his face down and away. “I mean, movies always tell you that women will fall all over you if you’re a single dad, but I’m here to tell you that they most certainly _do not_.”

Leslie threw her head back and laughed in agreement. “I know! It’s like telling them you have an STD or something.” 

She chuckled again – in a way that made him want to hear that laugh forever - then gave a little shrug of her shoulders. “So, for the most part I just don’t... I guess I kind of don’t bother? I mean… I would rather not deal with the rejection.” She shook her head determinedly. “I don’t deserve that. Liam doesn’t either. I’m used to it being just the two of us, anyway. I’m happy with how things are.” 

But the way she smiled after she said it, far weaker than she had all day, told Ben that, maybe, she wasn’t.

Ben couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer. “Tell me about... how you wound up with Liam?”

Leslie was quiet for a long time, gnawing nervously at the corner of her mouth as she poked at a lone piece of pasta with her fork. “I was working in the Parks Department when I found out I was pregnant with Liam,” she finally said, her gaze still fixed on her plate. “There was a city planner named Mark Brendanawicz that I was kind of, um... pining after, you could say.”

Ben bit down lightly on the tip of his tongue, forcing himself to keep from interrupting Leslie with a million questions. Liam had mentioned Mark, and he knew that was Liam’s father, but he wanted to know more. He was fascinated by Leslie’s story.

“One night we all went out for dinks after work. I knew that Mark wasn’t really into me, and it was pretty one sided as far as crushes go, but he…” Leslie’s face ducked lower, further away from Ben’s stare, and her teeth worked at her lower lip for a moment before she continued. “He kissed me and offered to hook up with me and I knew it was only because we were drunk. He was kind of a ladies man, I guess? And I think I was just sort of next on his list of conquests, and since I already liked him, I figured what the hell.” Leslie laughed humorlessly. “Stupid, huh?”

The only response Ben gave was in his expression, softening with compassion and understanding. But Leslie never saw it; she carried right on, as if she couldn’t stop the flood of words now that Ben had poked a hole in the dam that kept them locked inside.

“Mark wasn’t a _terrible_ guy, per say, but not the best either, someone I was okay with having a one night stand with but maybe not the person to raise a child with and - ” Leslie suddenly stopped short and flicked her gaze up to meet Ben’s. It was like an invisible sheath had been pulled from in front of his eyes. Raw, intense emotions swam in those pools of blue, and Ben dove in without hesitation. Because he knew. It only took once. The culmination of fear and self-doubt and wrong choices rolled into a single, irreversible act.

He gave Leslie a subtle, encouraging nod to show that he understood, that he’d been there, that he wasn’t judging or leaving. Leslie’s gaze shifted down again, and she resumed her story.

“Well, you can probably guess what that night resulted in. As soon as I found out, I drove straight home from work to my house. I - I still don’t even know how I made it back. I sat there in the living room, and I just waited. Waited for it all to sink in.”

“Eventually it did, and after the color returned to my face… I had to tell Mark. We were obviously never going to be together, especially seriously, but the baby... that changed everything.” Leslie paused to take another sip of her drink, holding the liquid in her mouth for a moment before swallowing. Ben watched its course, from lips to cheeks to throat, all the while contemplating the abstract thought that they’d both trudged separately down twin winding, prickly paths of experience that somehow, wonderfully, happened to converge here: on this day, in this city, at this table, together.

“He... all along, when I was pregnant, he told me he didn’t want it… him, Liam. I didn’t want anything to do with him, or this... this thing we’d done. I had dreams and goals and I just… I felt like my life was kind of over, that a baby would make me diverge from my path and I was really resentful for a long time,” Leslie’s voice crept higher, shriller with each phrase, as if she was reliving the terror and regret of those months, seven long years ago and miles away from him. Then she exhaled a deep sigh, one that seemed to rise all the way from her toes. “I can’t believe I ever thought the way I did, like Liam would be some burden that would ruin my life. The minute I held him, I just… I knew it was meant to be. He was mine and in that moment, all the fear and regret and everything just faded away. And I think Mark had changed his mind too, like he was finally on board, seeing his son come into this world, and I knew that he wanted us to do this together.”

“So, you tried to make it work?” Ben was completely transfixed by Leslie’s mellifluous voice, spilling its tale of courage. He placed both elbows on the table and leaned in as close as he could, anxious to hear the rest.

Leslie nodded. “We did, for awhile. He seemed to be really trying and I was starting to think that we really could make it work and be a happy family. But as time went on, I could see it his face that this wasn’t the life he wanted. That _we_ weren’t what he wanted. And I cried every night... every moment I thought about it, for weeks,” Leslie shook her head sadly. “No, months. I knew that Mark had only ever wanted a one night stand, not a family. And he wanted out, and I knew he was staying just because he thought it was the responsible thing to do, but he was miserable.”

She looked so forlorn, so vulnerable, and Ben ached to reach across the table and take her hand, wind their fingers together and give her something to hold on to. He didn’t – he was afraid it was too soon – but his gaze kept dropping down to where Leslie’s fingertips toyed absently with the gleaming silver handle of her fork, right beside her empty plate.

“Liam was born in July. Four months to the day, Mark left. He just... handed him over to me. Told me he knew I’d do a good job raising him, and that was that. I was alone then, and I was a single parent. For what I figured would be forever,” Leslie’s voice softened, even as her features set in a deep frown. “Part of me was trying to be positive and care for this thing I was responsible for bringing into the world, and that I said I wanted. But at the same time, I couldn’t stop mourning the loss of my own life.”

“I - I know exactly what you mean,” Ben stammered. How many times had he felt the same way - bitter resentment seeping into his soul, threatening to cloud the love and utter delight he experienced whenever he looked at his beautiful daughter?

“My mom was there to support me and she was my rock. She and I haven’t always had the best relationship but I don’t know what I would have done without her. And every single one of my coworkers. They were... in the end, they totally supported my decision to keep Liam. They were amazing. I never would’ve survived that first year without their help. I mean, I had no idea what I was doing with a baby. My mom taught me everything and everyone at work helped me with him in some way. They all told me that they wouldn’t let me sacrifice my future because I had a baby. So, they all pitched in somehow and we became this little village, this little family. Maybe it was that, or maybe... I don’t even remember exactly anymore.” Leslie looked up at Ben, eyes bright, and shrugged. “I just... eventually I made peace with everything that had happened. I realized my life wasn’t over. I was still young and I still had plenty of chances to do the things I wanted to do. I had my family, helping me, motivating me to push forward. So, slowly, I started dreaming again. I didn’t give up on my dream of City Council and… I ran and I won.”

“That’s amazing.”

“Thank you,” Leslie said earnestly, beaming at Ben. “I’m proud of it all. I’ll never forget what it took to get me here. I’m so grateful I have him. Every day.”

“So… he never sees his father, then?”

Leslie shook her head, her sunny smile shrinking into a tight-lipped line of pale pink. “No. Mark doesn’t…” She trailed off with a cynical laugh. “I seriously don’t think he even remembers he has a kid sometimes. I email him with updates every once in a while, but he rarely bothers to respond. He’s… kind of a mess. Just... not father material, not the family type. I don’t want Liam around him, and he still doesn’t seem to want to be involved. So, it works out for all of us.”

“But still hard to be on your own.” Ben gave her a weak, honest smile. “I know.”

Leslie mirrored Ben’s expression – worldly and a little weary, weighing heavy with meaning. “Yeah,” she sighed. “Andy and April still help out a lot, when he’s not playing with his band and they’re not working. Ann too - she loves him like her own and I couldn’t do it without her.”

“Oh, is Ann your best friend?”

“Yes. She’s a beautiful tropical fish, the best aunt in the world to Liam. You’ll have to meet her.”

“I hope I get a chance to,” Ben’s tone edged toward flirtatious again, testing the waters after Leslie’s emotional story. He watched Leslie’s smile shift, then grow; the years of experience in her expression melted away, leaving only the simple joy of youth, sparkling with interest and excitement.

“I wouldn’t change anything,” Leslie told him, reaching for the pitcher to refill their glasses: Ben’s first, then her own. “It’s not… it wasn’t a path I ever dreamed I would take, but in the end, I got where I wanted to be. And so much more. I can’t even imagine my life without Liam. I’m happy.” Her oversized grin revealed a tiny peek of white teeth that glinted in the candlelight. She sounded confident and self-assured now, more like the woman Ben had met that morning. Though Ben hoped, selfishly, that their date was a tiny part of the reason Leslie was feeling so good. 

“You must be tired of me talking your ear off,” Leslie said, her gaze steady on Ben’s. She held it for a beat, silent, before continuing. “That was probably way more than you ever wanted to know.”

“No. I want to know everything about you,” Ben blurted out before he could give his words an ounce of thought. He winced when he heard his own overly earnest tone. “Sorry, I… I’m not exactly smooth, am I?”

Leslie smirked - rather happily, Ben noted. “That makes two of us.”

“I’m serious, though,” Ben insisted. “I like listening to you. I want to hear... everything. Anything. But especially all this. It’s... it means a lot to me.”

Leslie watched him for a moment before speaking, her voice gentle and reflective. “I haven’t told anybody that story in a long time.”

“Thank you for telling me,” Ben leaned back slightly in his seat. “Do you feel like listening to my version now?”

Leslie’s eyes grew rounder, and she nodded faintly, as if she’d just been offered something she’d been desperately waiting for. 

Ben heaved a sigh, long and deep, purging any trace of fear and reticence. He wanted to tell Leslie everything, even the parts he’d tried and failed to completely blanch from his memory. “So… Cindy. She was my high school girlfriend. Wait – ” Ben shook his head, needing focus. “Let me back up.”

He felt his eyes drift down to his empty plate, but he forced them back up to meet Leslie’s riveted stare. “When I was eighteen, I ran for mayor of my small town. To impress her. It was... really, really stupid.”

Ben watched Leslie’s eyes widen, the realization dawning on her face. In the back of Ben’s mind, where he could still form thoughts that were fenced off from the pain of his memories, he vowed to be upfront and honest with her, even if it didn’t paint him in the greatest light. “Oh, you’re Benji Wyatt?”

“I am.”

“You were so cute! I was so jealous of you! Teen mayor and all.”

“I used every last dollar we had to open a giant winter sports complex, and called it Ice Town.”

“And it turned out great and everyone loved it?”

“Uh, yeah, kind of,” Ben said sarcastically. “It was never completed and I got impeached. The newspaper headline was ‘Ice Town Costs Ice Clown His Town Crown’.”

“Yuck.”

“I haven’t told anybody about that in...” Ben trailed off, slowly shaking his head. He wondered how all these years could have already passed since that part of his life had occurred, still so vivid in Ben’s mind that he felt like he could reach through the cloudy sands of time and dab the blood from the ripe bruises on his cheeks. “I don’t think anyone in Pawnee knows.”

Ben saw it in the way Leslie’s eyebrows twitched upward, the way her lips came together in a tight ghost of a smile: acknowledgement of Ben’s trust, acceptance of the burden of worry that Ben carried through his life.

“After that happened, my parents sent me to Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. You know, away from all the turmoil and rumors and bullying,” Ben explained with an eyeroll that he hoped would clear away some of the somberness he’d released into the air. “My relationship with Cindy was effectively over, because she was way too embarrassed to continue dating the town joke.”

“Oh, you weren’t – and aren’t - a joke,” Humor slowly trickled into Leslie’s expression, and Ben could tell she was trying to ease his mind just a tad. “I would have dated you back then. A political man my own age. Pretty hot, I have to say.”

“Really?”

“Mmm,” Leslie’s gaze dropped down to Ben’s lips. “Oh, absolutely.”

Ben hummed happily, feeling victorious. “I bet you would have thought I was adorable in my power, which I subsequently lost,” he remarked with a smug smile that didn’t nearly let on how his heart was pattering with joy over Leslie’s endearment.

“Eh,” Leslie wrinkled her nose. “I might have been a fellow heckler.”

Ben’s smirk morphed into a gasp of mock disbelief. “Leslie! Here I am opening myself up to you, telling you my whole life story, and you’re theoretically turning me down during my neediest of years?”

“I’m just kidding,” Leslie’s eyes sparkled mirthfully. “And don’t worry, Ben. I can’t see myself ever turning you down, even in theory.”

What would his life had been like if he’d met Leslie Knope years ago? 

But now... it didn’t even matter, did it? Because here they were, together – talking, smiling, flirting, drinking, gazing at each other as if the rest of the world didn’t exist.

Happy, indeed.

“So, you and... Cindy?” Leslie prompted after taking another sip of her drink. “How did that happen?”

“Well, we did break up after the Ice Town debacle. I went off to college and I didn’t hear from her again after that. But I was invited back to Partridge for this reunion thing for mayors. You know, the new mayor wanted to get all of the living past mayors back, to take pictures and have a celebration. So, I went. I didn’t think much of it at first but given that I knew they weren’t very happy with what I had done to the town, I knew it couldn’t be good. I figured it was some kind of set up. How could the guy who ruined the town be invited back for a commemoration? There certainly wasn’t anything to praise.”

Leslie’s brow knit with sympathy, etching deep lines into her forehead. She kept her gaze level with Ben’s the entire time, listening intently as Ben spoke.

“Well… it was a set up. The celebration for the mayors was real, but they had brought _me_ there to make fun of me.” Ben shrugged helplessly. “What else was I supposed to do? I just kind of sat and there and took it, because I knew they still held a grudge and this was sort of their way of letting off some steam. I mean, I get it… I screwed up pretty badly.”

“That wasn’t very kind of them,” Leslie frowned. “You didn’t deserve that.”

“Yeah, I… I was pretty upset after that. When I finally left, and the tormenting was over, all I wanted to do was get drunk and forget about what had just happened.”

Ben took a deep breath, steeling himself for the next part of his story. He looked down at the table for a moment, shaking his head sadly. “I was wallowing in my own self-pity, so I went to this bar, and Cindy happened to be there. And we started chatting a little, and then it turned into flirting, and one thing led to another and…”

“Been there,” Leslie remarked, twisting her mouth sheepishly. “A one night stand.”

“Yeah… After it happened, I went back to Indianapolis. We didn’t talk afterwards, and I knew it was because she felt terrible for sleeping with me, like it tarnished her family name or something, sleeping with the town disgrace. I knew she was embarrassed and wanted to pretend like it didn’t happen. I knew she didn’t want to be associated with me after Ice Town, and we only slept together because we were drunk. But then… nine months later, my mom called me and told me that someone had left a baby on their doorstep. And that it was mine.” 

Leslie gaped at him. “Wow.”

“I swear time just stopped in that moment. She told me Cindy left the baby and didn’t want any part of it because she didn’t want it to be associated with _me_. I felt like an idiot for making this gigantic mess just because I was feeling sorry for myself, and now I had a _baby_ because of it. I was a dad and I didn’t even know it. But more than that, I was really angry,” Ben flexed his fist under the table: closed, open, squeezing his hand into a tight ball then releasing it, letting go of his lingering anger along with the movement. “I was angry at her for skipping out on us, leaving this baby for me to take care of alone, and she didn’t even care about it – all because she hated me for a past mistake. Violet doesn’t have a mother because of that and I… I was angry at myself for Ice Town too, because without that, this wouldn’t have happened. Cindy wouldn’t have abandoned our daughter, if it hadn’t been for me and I feel like it was all my fault.”

“So, what did you do?”

“I... what could I do?” Ben ducked his face down, feeling the burn of shame in his cheeks. “I flew out to Minnesota on the first flight I could get and when I got there, I held this teeny, tiny little baby in my arms and I… I fell in love. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing or what I was going to do, but she was mine and I knew that I had to make it work somehow. For her.”

“That’s… wow,” Leslie’s eyebrows nearly grazed her hairline. “I can’t believe that.”

“Yeah...” Ben could feel his entire face wrinkle with a deep frown. “I don’t want to make it seem like it was easy, but… I knew what I had to do. I’m so glad I did too, despite it derailing my plans in life.”

“Well… regardless, you still ended up achieving everything you wanted.”

“Not everything,” Ben muttered under his breath, too low for Leslie to hear. 

“What about Cindy? She really never came back?”

“No. I mean, I hear from her sometimes... really randomly. Last I heard she was in Minnesota still but if she is, she doesn’t tell me.”

Ben paused to gulp down the last of his drink, relishing the way the cold liquid soothed his dry throat, willing it to calm his nerves after revealing so much of himself to Leslie. “I think she feels guilty sometimes, though,” he speculated aloud. “She sends these gifts, once or twice a year. But for the most part, I think she just wants that part of her life - and her tie to me - to be over.”

“What do you tell Violet?” 

Ben let out a quiet snort. “The truth,” he said with a shrug. “What else can I do? As a rule, I try not to... shelter her from much. So, I’m honest about it. Cindy left us. Left _her_. That’s a fact. She left me when I needed her, and she left Violet without a mother.”

Ben had worked hard, so damn hard, to build a positive image of family for Violet – an image that didn’t include a mother. Instead, Ben had given her his parents, his older brother and his younger sister, and Chris. 

“Family is all the people who love you,” Ben had once explained to Violet in lieu of a bedtime story, snuggled up beside her in her toddler bed. “Sometimes that’s your mommy and daddy, and sometimes it’s people you aren’t really related to.”

“What about you?” Leslie asked softly. “Do you want it to be over too?”

Idly, Ben ran a finger through the condensation that had gathered on the pitcher at the center of their table, watching drops of water slip down polished glass to pool on the dark, rustic wood tabletop. “Sometimes,” he confessed, finally giving voice to the thoughts that often ran rampant through his mind. “Sometimes, I want to know what it would’ve been like to be single, get to date, without a child. And sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to do this the _right_ way – you know, fall in love with someone, get married, and start a family with the right person. Not be a single father. And sometimes I want to know what it’s like to have a normal schedule. I mean, I’m busy and always working. Any free time I have, I spend it with Violet.”

Ben stared at his hands as he rubbed the pads of his fingers together, spreading the cold moisture over his skin. “I wasn’t usually... sad about it. Just... I don’t know, exhausted? Like, I’m always ten steps behind everybody else. I never feel like anything’s taken care of. And sometimes I just want to say... fuck it. Just throw my hands in the air and give up.” Closed, open went his fist again; his slick fingertips curled into the weathered skin of his palm. “Why can’t I ever catch up? Why am I the one who has to carry all this responsibility around? Why couldn’t I have been the one who ran away and never looked back?”

Ben was breathing heavy when he finished speaking. He didn’t realize how worked up he’d been getting, but now that it’d hit him, he had to blink furiously to erase the prickle of tears stinging behind his eyes.

“Sorry,” he apologized on a burst of nervous laughter. “I didn’t… I don’t let myself think about it too much. I just - ”

“You just do it,” Leslie interjected, and Ben failed miserably at keeping his features in check when Leslie slid a hand across the table to lightly cover his fist. Ben’s wet, wrinkled fingertips warmed against Leslie’s smooth skin; the touch was foreign but immediately comforting. “You do it because it’s the only thing to do. Trust me, there’ve been so many times I’ve dreamed about what it would be like to give up too. It’s…” she trailed off with a sigh. “Like the weight of the entire world is on my shoulders. But at the end of the day… you wouldn’t ever want to run away, would you?”

“No,” Ben whispered. He didn’t want to run away from anything right now – he wanted to run toward it, smiling and laughing jubilantly, with open arms. “Never. I love her. I’d never... she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. The _best_. I can do… I know I can do anything after raising her.”

Leslie smiled at him sincerely. “It’s hard sometimes. It’s okay that it’s hard. But... Ben, I just met you, but I can tell you’re an amazing father. She adores you. You’re doing great.”

“Thank you,” Ben croaked, swallowing down the emotion that was building in his throat. “It’s... hard to find somebody who really understands.”

Leslie simply smiled at him, her own eyes glassy in the flickering candlelight. Here was someone who truly understood what she had been through, what she dealt with every day. Who’d experienced something life altering, just like she had. Who had wit and charm and intelligence, all wrapped up in a stunning package.

“I feel like… like I’ve just been wandering around, looking for you,” Ben’s musings slipped off his tongue in a voice that was barely louder than a whisper. He hooked his thumb over one of Leslie’s fingers and tightened his grip, stroking once over Leslie’s knuckle, feeling her, firm and real and so very there in his hand.

Leslie’s face lit up, impossibly brighter than the radiant glow she’d worn the entire evening. She opened her mouth slightly, to speak, perhaps, or maybe just to stare agape, but Ben’s body decided in that very moment to send a yawn rising up in his throat.

“God, I’m sorry,” Ben apologized, embarrassed, throwing his free hand over his mouth. “She got me up so early this morning to meet your kid.”

“Oh, well, I apologize for the inconvenience,” Leslie teased in an airy voice that wavered lightly, giving away the effect Ben’s words had on her heart. “I’m sure you wish you’d stayed in bed instead of meeting us.”

“No - ” Ben started, but he cut himself off when their waited dropped the check at the edge of their table. He released his hand from Leslie’s and snatched up the thin black folder before Leslie could make a move.

“Ben…”

“I got it,” Ben said, dismissing Leslie’s protest as he slid his credit card into the plastic sleeve. “I’m the one who asked you, remember?”

Leslie huffed out a sigh. “Fine.” She paused for just a moment before the edges of her mouth slowly started creeping upward again. “But on one condition.”

“Anything.”

“You let me get next time.”

Ben grinned at her. “As long as that means there’s going to be a next time.”

Leslie mirrored his luminous smile. “You found me, Ben. There’s no way I’m letting you go now.”


	7. Chapter 7

The night was coming to and end but she didn’t want it to. She wanted to prolong it, to be with Ben for as long as possible, to soak it all in before it was all over. 

“I know you’re really tired and we both need to get home, but... can we make one last quick stop?” Leslie almost felt guilty for asking when Ben looked at her like he didn’t know what she was talking about, the brassy street lights above them accentuating dark circles under his eyes that weren’t quite so visible in the warm glow of the restaurant. But Leslie had a feeling Ben would appreciate the idea she’d suddenly come up with as they stepped out into the deep drone of the night.

“Sure,” Ben answered, quiet but eager. A tiny seed of excitement bloomed in Leslie’s chest, and she rode the wave of adrenaline, wordlessly reaching for Ben’s hand. She was going all in now: no regrets, no holding back. This wonderful thing had fallen into her lap, completely unexpected, beyond even the wildest of dreams she’d stopped dreaming long ago, and Leslie meant it when she said she wasn’t letting it go. 

Neither was Ben, she realized happily when she felt Ben’s fingers entwine with hers: a motion that felt like an invisible string, tying the two of them together. One that matched her size, her heat, her intention. She bit down hard on a huge, rapturous grin as they started walking down the street, though nothing could hamper her elation right now.

The ice cream shop was three blocks away. Leslie had only been there once before, and she knew it was only a small gesture but she wanted to give something to Ben that neither of them got these days: a delicious dessert, away from the hands of prying children who begged for sweets.

Just the two of them.

“What’s this?” Ben asked with a delighted chuckle when Leslie led him toward the doors of the shop, swung wide open with boisterous rock and roll music blaring out into the warm night. 

“I just… wanted to share a dessert with you, but just you and me, no kids asking for ice cream,” Leslie began, a knowing smirk on her face. “I take Liam here sometimes, since we’re both suckers for something sweet. In fact, this was the first place I took him to get ice cream when I knew he could eat it. It’s the best ice cream I’ve ever had. Well, maybe not that great but it means a lot to me. I thought... maybe you might like it if we could... just be silly for a few minutes before we had to go home?” 

Ben’s grin was so open, so child-like in its sheer exuberance that Leslie had to hold herself back from leaning in and kissing him right there, smack dab in the middle of the noisy, retro ice cream shop. 

“Leslie...” Leslie knew Ben was thinking the exact same thing, with the way his amber gaze dropped down to her lips. “You’re...”

Ben’s eyes were still shining with happiness when they flicked back up to meet Leslie’s. They stood there, staring, for one long moment that stretched taut between them, teeming with a spectrum of emotions that catapulted far beyond the interest, the curiosity, the attraction Leslie had felt all day.

Love.

She was falling – hard, fast and true – in love with Ben.

The realization sent a sudden burst of cool, tingly anxiety swooping low in her stomach. Leslie finally broke the lock on their gaze, biting her lip as she coyly glanced up at the chalkboard menu.

“Oh, and just so we’re clear,” she said, nonchalantly tossing her breathless voice toward Ben while keeping her eyes trained on the brightly lit ice cream counter in front of them. “This doesn’t count as my ‘next time.’”

After ordering – Leslie’s chosen flavor Empowermint, a mix of mint ice cream, fudge brownie pieces and fudge swirls; and Ben’s vanilla gelato, both in double scoops stacked high atop crispy sugar cones – they headed back outside to the plastic tables lining the shop’s glass facade. Leslie reached for a seat, but Ben grabbed her hand before it could connect with the black plastic chair, tugging her up to sit on top of the table instead.

“I want to sit next to you,” Ben said with an adorably bashful grin that made Leslie’s heart patter happily.

_Fuck, I am so in love with him._

They sat mostly in silence, their bodies squashed together on the round, wobbly tabletop; teetering on the uncertain edge of childhood and adulthood as they clutched their cones and watched the city of Pawnee around them.

“You’re right,” Ben remarked after a few minutes. “This is the best ice cream I’ve ever had.”

“Mmm,” Leslie hummed in agreement around a mouthful of cold, sugary cream. “I told you.”

“How’s yours?” Ben turned his face toward Leslie and leaned closer, so close Leslie could feel the heat of Ben’s skin radiating against her cheek.

“Delicious,” Leslie replied, just as she gave her single remaining scoop another long, slow lick – partly because it was delicious, and partly for show, because she knew Ben’s eyes were trained on her.

“Can I try?”

Leslie turned slightly, just enough so her gaze could meet Ben’s. “I suppose?”

Leslie started to hold her cone in Ben’s direction, but Ben had another idea. He grabbed Leslie’s wrist, eliciting a startled squeak from Leslie, and bit deeply into the glossy mound of green and brown cream. Ben’s eyelids fluttered shut as his lips closed over Leslie’s ice cream – luscious, rosy pink lips, clasped around sweet, melty...

 _Oh, my -_

“Ow,” Ben winced as the cold sensation hit his teeth, piercing a hole in the desire that had swiftly bubbled up in Leslie’s belly.

Leslie let out a shaky, high-pitched laugh. “Serves you right! Gosh, and here I was thinking I could finally spend an evening without a kid around.”

Ben’s nose was still wrinkled as he held his tongue against his two front teeth to warm them. Leslie’s eyes flew like magnets to the tiny nub of moist pink, visible for just a split second before it darted back into Ben’s mouth. “You’re the one who took me for ice cream,” he shot back at Leslie.

“Well, then. Fine,” Leslie said loftily, holding her head up high. “See if I ever do it again.”

“Noooo...”

Leslie snorted out a chuckle. Ben sounded worse than Liam during his most temperamental years. “You are seriously a child.”

Ben swung his legs in the empty air below the table, pausing to gaze at cars whizzing past and groups of teens and adults hurrying along the sidewalk in front of them. “I feel like one now,” he remarked before looking back at Leslie with a sweet, doe-eyed smile. “This was wonderful, Leslie. Thank you.”

Ripe silence enveloped them again, heaping more weight onto air that was already heavy, brimming, pouring over with want and anticipation and bliss, pure bliss.

_Oh, please kiss me. Please._

“I guess we should probably take these to go,” Ben said quietly, his voice tinged with regret.

Leslie felt her entire body deflate. “Yeah. You’re right,” she agreed with a small nod.

Ben’s free hand came up to rest at the small of Leslie’s back, the same spot he’d let it lay earlier, when they’d met outside the restaurant. He pressed lightly against Leslie’s back, guiding them both as they hopped off the table and onto the dirty concrete sidewalk. But unlike before, Ben’s hand didn’t fall away. Instead, he let his palm slide across the full length of Leslie’s lower back until it hooked around her waist. He pulled Leslie close until their sides were flush again.

Leslie mirrored his pose, slipping her own hand along Ben’s waistband, feeling the smoothness of his belt and scratchy-soft fabric of his shirt. She held on tight, bunching a handful of cotton in her fist.

“Let me walk you home,” Ben urged as they trekked down the road, still hand in hand.

“Where do you live, anyway?” Leslie wondered aloud as they reached the crosswalk, dim and quiet in the late hour.

“Near Ramsett Park.”

“Ben!” Leslie stopped in her tracks and spun to face him, shooting him an incredulous stare. “Why’d you walk with me this way to the ice cream shop? That’s back the other way!”

Ben shrugged. “Because a gentleman walks his date home at the end of the night.”

“Yes and, likewise, a woman doesn’t let her date walk a mile clear in the opposite direction of his home just so she can have an escort.” Leslie pinned him with a pointed look. “Go home to your little girl, Ben.”

Leslie’s laughter slowly died away to silence as they both stood there at the top of the stairs to her house, immobile; nothing but breath between them, darkness above them and firm sidewalk under their feet.

The moment was one like they’d been sharing together all day: the moment they met, the moment they confided in one another about their pasts, first at the convention, and then again and again over dinner. Words and thoughts and memories had tumbled forth and framed a series of moments, each similar but brighter, weightier every time.

The harsh lights of streetlamps and headlights turned Leslie’s eyes a dusky, gleaming gray. Ben watched her blink once, slowly, then again, before his eyes widened: absorbing the moment, this moment, one last moment that was even fuller than all the rest, and beckoning Ben closer.

Ben was thirty-five years old, but he was lucky enough to have experienced love at first sight. Once, on a crisp September evening more than seven years ago, when his own smiling mother thrust a squirming, screaming bundle of baby girl into his arms. And again, today, on this evening, right here, as he stared deeply into blue eyes that he hoped would never stop gazing at him like they were right now.

Ben’s trembling hand came up to cup Leslie’s cheek, gently, reverently, just as he cradled the fragile euphoria of falling in love that burst in his heart. Leslie’s eyes faded to a gentle glimmer, then went dark, hidden behind closed lids as their lips finally came together for the first time.

It was a tender, simple touch of mouths that froze the moment, the seconds, the world around them. Ben breathed in Leslie’s scent, closer than ever: the heat of it, the fragrance of her perfume, and something bold and rich, something inherently feminine and perfectly Leslie. Vanilla and whipped cream. It filled his nostrils, his head, his entire body with a heady throb of lust.

Ben sighed out his exhale, and suddenly they were both moving: wet, warm mouths sliding against one another in a dance of pleasure, of joy, of possibility. Instinct led his lips, inexperienced but eager, as he melted into Leslie’s embrace.

Someone, somewhere moaned softly; the sound bobbed aimlessly in the melted puddle that once was his brain. He edged further, deeper, and was rewarded with the flavor of sweet fudge and mint ice cream lingering on Leslie’s tongue.

Ben finally tore his lips away, many seconds later, only for need of air. He kept his face close, panting damp puffs of breath over Leslie’s smooth, rosy skin as he nuzzled his nose against Leslie’s cheek.

“That was a good way to end the day,” Leslie murmured, so soft, and her kiss-throaty voice made Ben’s stomach twist tightly with yearning for more.

“I can’t believe it actually has to end.” Ben didn’t want it to end. Never, ever. He’d stay right here, wrapped in Leslie, breathing her, tasting her, exploring her forever, if he could be allowed.

“It’s just one day.” Their faces were still so close, but Ben could see Leslie’s smile, and could feel on his nose how the apples of Leslie’s cheeks plumped with the movement of his mouth. “There’ll be lots more.”

“God. I hope so,” Ben placed a soft, aimless kiss near one corner of Leslie’s lips. “Can I call you?”

“I think that would be acceptable.” Leslie’s tone was so damn dry that Ben chuckled.

“Right.” Still, Ben couldn’t force himself to let go. He angled his head just slightly to again capture Leslie’s mouth with his own. Their second kiss was different: soft and closed-lipped, but not tentative like before. They lingered against one another, drawing out the moment as long as possible, dotting a perfect period at the end of their magical day.

“Okay then,” Ben sighed when he pulled back, far enough to see Leslie’s face but still wound in her tight embrace.

“Okay,” Leslie repeated.

Leslie was the one to move in this time, another press of lips against lips, coupled with a tight squeeze around Ben’s waist. It evolved into a hug, suffocatingly tight and bordering on desperate, with Leslie’s arms thrown around Ben’s neck, her face buried in hot, smooth skin just below Ben’s ear. The spot was so kissable; Leslie could just devour it.

She held herself back. Because she really did need to get inside. It would so dangerous if she didn’t. And there would be lots more days, after all.

“Okay,” Ben muttered again, his words muffled against Leslie’s skin.

“Okay,” Leslie echoed with a heavy sigh, and finally they parted, breaking into light laughter at themselves and their silly, smitten behavior.

“Well... goodnight, Leslie.” Ben found Leslie’s gaze again, still clear and gray, and more adoring than ever. They gave each other one last grin before Leslie took a step back, leaving Ben’s skin cold but his heart and soul on fire.

“Goodnight, Ben. I’ll see you soon."

\-------------------------

Leslie hummed lightly to herself as she clicked open the lock to her front door. It took everything in her not to turn around and chase Ben down, to kiss him again until she couldn’t see straight anymore. Much to her chagrin, she had kept her composure and told herself there would be a next time.

The first thing Leslie’s eyes fell on was Andy, snoring open-mouthed on her couch. Leslie smiled as she approached him, reaching to tug a knit afghan off the back of the couch and drape it over Andy’s legs.

“Go back to sleep,” Leslie whispered when Andy stirred as he snapped off the television, silencing the DVD menu’s endless, blaring loop and plunging the room into sudden darkness. “It’s one in the morning. Just stay here tonight.”

Leslie shuffled her way through the dark to the hallway and pushed open the half-closed door to Liam’s bedroom. She stopped in the doorway and stared into the room, a room she knew by heart, decorated in earthy tones of green and blue and chocolate brown. Darkness engulfed any trace of color now, but for the garish yellow glow of the night light plugged into the outlet behind Liam’s bed. Leslie could still remember the day she had arranged all of the belongings in this room, and how she’d stayed up late into the night to paint the walls while her son dozed on the couch.

Liam’s sleepy voice startled her back to the present. “Where were you, Mommy?”

Leslie’s heart constricted in her chest. Liam rarely ever called her Mommy anymore. He was getting older and growing up, and the name was few and far between these days. “I was out with Violet’s dad, honey. Remember?” She stepped into the room, reaching her son’s bedside in several strides and crouching down to the floor beside its edge. “I’m back now. Did you have fun with Uncle Andy?”

Leslie could just make out the motion of Liam’s head bobbing up and down against his pillow. “We played drums and made a big mess cooking in the kitchen.”

Leslie’s eyelids slipped shut in defeat, though she couldn’t really bring herself to be angry at Andy at the moment. “I’m glad you had fun, Liam,” she murmured, suddenly tired to the bone. “Uncle Andy is sleeping on the couch tonight. Auntie April will come over in the morning and I’ll make waffles. Sound good?”

“Uh huh,” Liam was already sinking back into sleep. “With blueberries.”

“With blueberries. Of course,” Leslie leaned in and kissed his damp forehead. “I love you so much.”

Leslie was nearly out the door when she heard her son’s faint voice call out once more.  
“Is Violet’s dad your boyfriend now?”

Leslie paused, resting one hand on the doorframe to steady herself. “I don’t know, Liam,” she answered quietly, staring down at the wood floor underneath her feet. “Would that be okay if he was?”

“Uh huh. Then we could all live together and I would get to see Violet every single day.”

Leslie turned her face to crush her mouth against her shoulder, muffling any chance of a laugh. “Goodnight, Liam,” she whispered when she could speak again.

Once she was safely behind the closed door of her own bedroom, Leslie undressed quickly, tossing clothes into hampers and stowing them neatly in closets, and with them tucking away the heavy weight of responsibility she wore each day. She absently wiped a toner-soaked cotton ball across her brow, her nose, her chin, then crawled into bed and tugged her plush down comforter up to her neck.

And she giggled. She giggled like a high schooler, the teenage version of herself she’d rarely allowed herself to be, giddy over a delicious kiss from a handsome boy she was head over heels in love with.

She pressed her fingers against her lips, suppressing the sound but not the tingling she still felt where Ben’s mouth had clung to hers.

Leslie dreamed that night, for the first time in ages. About a new future that lay in front of her: sudden and unforeseen, and overflowing with joy.


	8. Chapter 8

_One Year Later_

Violet’s leggings and mask were black, accompanied by alternating red fabric, and a large letter in the middle, the I blazoned on the front for the Incredibles. They had decided that this year, Comic Con would be a family affair and they had the costumes to boot. Leslie had suggested the idea of a family theme, knowing exactly what costumes she wanted this year. After all, it was tradition for the Wyatts and now the Knopes, and this particular getup was perfect for the occasion.

“She never lets me pick out her clothes, but somehow she let _you_ convince her to go along with this,” Ben grumbled, his arms crossed stubbornly over his chest as he leaned in Violet’s bedroom doorway. “I mean, I’m totally sold on the family costume idea, I’m just sad that she won’t let her father make the suggestions anymore.”

Leslie shot Ben a smug look up from where she sat cross-legged in the middle of Violet’s fluffy white rug, dappled with early morning sunlight. “That’s because you’re her dad. Liam doesn’t let me pick out his clothes, either. It’s just a... thing,” she said with a toss of her hand before she turned back to Violet. “Hold on, Violet, stay still for a sec.”

Violet abruptly stopped spinning in her superhero costume; the flow of her long hair suddenly swished to stillness against her. Leslie hummed, cocking her head before giving her look a satisfied nod. “Perfect!”

“Can I go now? Please!” Violet asked impatiently.

“Yes, ma’am. Soon!” Leslie rose to her knees and gripped Violet’s shoulders, rotating her so she was facing the opposite direction. “She’s a weed, I swear. She’s grown like two inches since winter,” she remarked absently to Ben, who answered with a murmur of agreement.

“She’s a spitfire, alright,” Leslie tossed the words over her shoulder as she made to leave her bedroom. She caught Ben’s amused stare and returned it with a pleased smile, pausing in the doorway for a split-second to let Ben press a kiss to her cheek before she headed back to help Liam with his costume.

Leslie and Violet had a lot of style consultations now as the resident girls in his life – _his_ girls – lively chatter and exclamations behind her closed bedroom door that had Ben wondering when his bookish baby girl had begun growing up into the budding model he now feared she’d become.

“I still like reading too, Daddy!” she’d assured him once, crawling into his lap. “I’m going to be smart and go to college and be a doctor. Or maybe the President of the United States!”

“Yeah,” Liam had opined from his seat on the other end of the couch – he rarely strayed far from Violet’s side. “You can like clothes and be smart too!”

Violet and Liam’s childish boyfriend and girlfriend relationship had softened over the past year to something closer to best friends. They still held hands wherever they went – a relic of childhood that Leslie feared would fade in a few years when puberty set in. Though by then, no doubt, their relationship would be changed again: this time, to brother and sister.

Leslie and Ben were it. They knew it as well as they knew how to whip up a Monday evening meal two eight year olds would happily inhale; as well as they knew their children’s favorite books and colors and school subjects, and the Christmas presents they’d received each year since they were born. They’d known it from the day they met and every day after, three hundred sixty-five times over.

Leslie’s family knew it – just a single night after Leslie had introduced Ben to Ann, and mere moments after her mother had arrived at her home the previous Thanksgiving.

“That one’s a keeper,” Leslie’s mother had discreetly whispered in her ear as Ben greeted her and Violet started charming the pants off Leslie’s mother.

“Yeah,” Leslie had affirmed, biting down on a radiant grin. “I’m never letting him go.”

Ben’s friends knew it too – his colleagues and Chris most of all. Not a week after his and Leslie’s first date, Chris had offered Ben a two-for-one deal so he and Leslie could go out.

“You guys deserve it, Ben Wyatt” he’d said, dismissing Ben’s objection with a wave of his hand. “Now go back to her place and make out, already.”

So they did. Happily.

Leslie and Ben had had a year’s worth of heart-pattering moments of bliss, reclaiming what years of dirty diapers and no-show babysitters and second jobs worked clear through the night had robbed them of. Dreams were discovered, hopes were confided, their souls were laid bare for the other to hold and shelter.

Their days together were filled with simple domesticity – not much changed from before they met, except now they both had a friend, a companion to help them slog through even the most monotonous and stress-crazed times. Leslie’s harried enthusiasm melded with Ben’s cool, even-tempered humor, creating a beautiful harmony as they learned how to become a parent with a partner. On some evenings, Leslie led history lessons; others, Ben taught the kids all about Star Wars and Star Trek and, much to the children’s chagrin, math problems. Then, around one dinner table or another, they’d fill the air with rich chatter and laughter as Violet and Liam told stories about their school day, and Leslie gushed about the newest happenings in local government, or Ben read in silly, dramatic voices from the latest age appropriate book.

And the nights... once their children were tucked tightly into bed, or handed off to the care of a babysitter, Leslie and Ben’s nights together overflowed with passion that simmered and bubbled to the surface, long trapped under the burdens of single parenthood. Sometimes they raced toward ecstasy, breathing soundless gasps into the other’s sweat-slicked skin; more often they lingered, slow and languid, just like the first time they’d lain together in Ben’s silent, candle-lit bedroom, when their limbs had shaken with nerves and the sheer force of the love they’d finally uttered aloud. Though most nights, they were content to revel in the simple comfort of clutching their lover close, whispering words of affection as they drifted toward sleep.

Soon, their days, their nights – all their tender moments together would become more frequent.

It had happened at random, without plan, just like their chance meeting. On a Friday after work, Leslie and Liam had stumbled upon an oft-talked about, yet never witnessed Wyatt Dance Party. Ben and Violet had pulled the two hesitant Knopes up on the couch with them to belt out and bounce along with a playlist of decade-old pop hits.

“Think you could get used to this?” Ben asked, breathless, as the music ended. He wrapped his arms around Leslie’s waist to keep them both upright on the plush couch cushions.

“I think I’d murder you if you ever tried to jump on my couch like this,” Leslie deadpanned.

Ben shook his head slowly, ignoring Leslie’s sarcasm. “That’s not what I was getting at.”

Leslie arched an eyebrow. “What were you getting at?”

Ben opened his mouth; closed it. “I… I want you here all the time,” he finally confessed, an air of desperation in his stuttering voice. “Both of you. S-should be here. With us.”

Leslie blinked at him – one, two, three times. “What?”

“Live here with us,” Ben tightened his embrace, pressing his sweat-dampened body closer to Leslie’s. “Let’s... let’s be a family.”

Leslie was silent and still as her eyes roamed Ben’s face – soft and open and imploring, and full of love. “That’s what Liam said he wanted,” she finally whispered. 

“Really?” Ben’s expression shifted to curiosity. “When?”

“The first day we met... when I got home from our date,” Leslie spoke slowly, recalling the quiet, shadowy moment in Liam’s bedroom many months prior. “He asked if you were my boyfriend, and I asked him if that would be okay. He said it would because then we could all live together and he could see Violet every day.”

Ben barked out a laugh. “No kidding.”

“Yeah,” Leslie swallowed hard and dropped her face down to stare at their feet, sunken into cushions that sagged under their combined weight. “We’re going to need a bigger couch,” she declared.

Ben’s eyes, which had widened with alarm when Leslie’s gaze had fallen away, now crinkled under the force of his beaming smile. “You’re probably right,” he replied, his voice faded to a quiet rasp.

Leslie briefly looked back up at him before casting a glance around the warmly lit living room, crammed with a hodgepodge of furniture and overflowing bookshelves and pink- and purple-hued plastic toys. “And a bigger house.”

“Yeah. Yeah, okay,” Ben breathed, nodding. “Let’s do it?”

Leslie returned his nod, slow and sure. “Want to do the honors?”

Ben blew out a calming breath before speaking, raising his voice so it would project beyond the intimate circle they’d formed. “Hey, guys,” he called down to the kids, who’d wandered away from the dance party to examine something seemingly more interesting on Ben’s iPad. “What do you think about all of us living together in the same place? Would you like that?”

His question was met with a pair of surprised gasps, coupled with a frantic nod from Liam and an enthusiastic “Yeah!” from Violet.

“Well, the jury’s in favor,” Leslie quipped as an enormous grin bloomed over her features.  
Ben matched it, inch for joyful inch. “That sounds unanimous to me,” he said as he leaned forward to capture Leslie’s mouth in a searing, closed-lipped kiss.

“Yes!” Liam held out a hand for Violet to high-five; Violet responded by throwing her arms around Liam’s shoulders with an exuberant screech, sending a fiery blush rising high on Liam’s round, freckled cheeks.

They were coming together under a single roof – four people, two names, one family. Begun in the most unconventional of ways, now merging as if nature had formed them as a single unit. But first, they had to revisit the event where it all started: Indiana’s Comic Con, the place of their meeting and the perfect, ebullient celebration of their newly formed life together.

\-------------------------------------

Leslie grabbed Ben’s wrist to glance at his watch as they gradually weaved their way toward the edge of the convention barricade. “How is it ten-thirty already?” she asked, frowning down at Ben’s watch face.

“Well, you wouldn’t stop obsessing over Violet’s costume this morning,” Ben said.

“I wanted it to be perfect,” Leslie huffed, sliding her hand from Ben’s wrist to his palm and giving it a light squeeze. “It didn’t take that long. I think it’s your habitual tardiness rubbing off on me.”

“Hey! You’re the one who wanted to get all the details of _your_ outfit right. It’s a miracle we made it here at all,” Ben grinned when Leslie shot him a mock scowl.

“Forgive me for wanting to look nice, Ben.”

“You always look nice, Leslie,” Ben complimented as his eyes drifted down to the length of her costume, and admired how the black leggings of Mrs. Incredible made Leslie look… well, incredible.

“It is our anniversary, after all,” Leslie reminded him.

Ben grinned even wider. “It is.”

Leslie made a face again. “Except now we’re not going be able to get lunch before we see the house. It’s going to take forever to get back to Pawnee.”

Ben shrugged. “That’s why we have snacks!” He reached out and grabbed the zipper of Liam’s backpack, tugging until the fastening freed enough to stick his hand inside. Liam craned his neck to shoot Ben a startled glance, but quickly turned back to Violet, jabbering incessantly by his side.

“You’re a dork,” Leslie muttered, a hint of a smile tugging at the remnants of her frown.

“A dork you love,” Ben countered.

Leslie’s blue eyes danced with delight. “Very true.”

“And a dork who has food!” Ben made a triumphant sound as he pulled his hand from Liam’s bag.

“Goldfish,” Leslie commented, seizing the tiny pouch of yellow fish crackers Ben clutched in his fist. “You sure know the way to my heart.”

“Well, I must be doing something right for you to want to be with me for a whole year,” Ben playfully nudged her in the arm with his shoulder.

“For me to want to be with you forever,” Leslie corrected him with a knowing smile.

Below them, Violet’s voice suddenly rang out, echoing in the outer ring of their consciousness. “Look, they’re taking pictures! Daddy! Leslie!”

“Mooooom,” Liam called up to them. “Earth to Mom!” 

“Okay, Liam,” Leslie muttered to dismiss her son, her gaze never straying from Ben’s. Liam and Violet rolled their eyes at each other.

“They’re doing it again,” Liam moaned. “Being all kissy faced.”

“How come you never kiss _me_ , Liam?” Violet asked innocently as she rocked back and forth on her feet.

“B-because,” Liam stammered. “We have to be, like, eleven to do that.”

“But you can kiss me on the cheek!”

“N-no. I can’t!” Though they weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend anymore, it would be an understatement to say that Liam still harbored an enormous crush on Violet.

“Fine. Then I’m going to kiss you!” Violet declared, grinning broadly as she leaned closer to a wide-eyed Liam.

“I can’t believe it’s only been a year,” Ben murmured to Leslie, both oblivious to their kids’ kissing debate.

“I know,” Leslie agreed softly.

“A lot’s happened since then, huh?” A year before, at that very moment, the first sparks had fizzed and flown between them as they stood in the middle of a crowded street, holding their children close and their dreams at arm’s length. And now they were back in the same place, embracing all the love the world had gifted them.

“I wonder what we’ll be celebrating at next year’s parade.” Leslie shot him a long, significant glance, one that Ben mirrored for a moment before quickly shifting coy.

“Another baby?”

An astonished laugh burst from Leslie’s chest; she threw her head back, letting the bubbly noise waft high above the crowd around them. Ben took advantage of the moment, diving forward and latching his lips onto the smooth, exposed skin of Leslie’s neck and blanketing it with noisy kisses.

That was the image Violet found during her daily scan of The Indianapolis Star the next morning: Leslie grinning widely, her arms wrapped around Ben’s shoulders with Ben’s face pressed against her neck. Below them, Violet’s lips were sealed delicately to Liam’s flame-red cheek, with one eye trained on the photojournalist’s camera that Leslie and Ben never noticed. A scatter of colorful confetti floated around the edges of the scene, framing the moment like a perfect picture of joy.

The family portrait was the first thing Leslie and Ben hung on the walls of their new house, where it remained for years to come.


End file.
